Bittersweet
by Noizchild Johnson
Summary: Ninth one in "Ghost Doll." Tsuzuki has been acting strange lately. He seems to have gone AWOL and no one can reach him. But he resurfaces and assaults Anna, he traps her into a long torture game with round after round of suffering. !DarkTsuzuki for this.
1. Belladonna Petals

Author's Note: To my fellow Tsuzuki fans, let me apologize for this fic in advance.

Bittersweet

_Chapter One: Belladonna Petals:_

It all started with an offer.

_December 10th, 2009._

An angel had an interest in Anna. He didn't do romance, however. Sadism tasted sweeter than honey. He learned this from an old friend. This same old friend gave the angel a small request to fulfill. Because of the nature of the job, he gladly accepted. But first, the angel had to sell the proposition. Lucky for him, he had the perfect pitch.

_Play Upon Concerns_

Tsuzuki stared at the engagement rings on display in the window as the snowflakes softly fell onto his brown hair. The streetlights behind him only added to the teasing glimmer in the store window's reflection. Christmas would be here in fifteen days. Fifteen days to get Anna a gift. The engagement ring would be the ideal option. Sadly, he still lacked the money. Anna told him it was okay.

"I don't need a ring," she said. "I just have my answer." Yeah, that was all he had. No wedding plans. No wedding date. No ring. Just a "yes." Tsuzuki dropped his shoulders. An engagement ring would give them away. Still, he had to show something for his love. The shinigami pressed his forehead against the glass as he reflected on how he screwed up with his latest purchase today. _That cake was so good, but now I can't afford a ring._

"Aren't they pretty?" he heard someone ask. Tsuzuki glanced to his right. A slender young man stood next to him, looking at the rings. The nature around him gave off a feeling colder than the very diamonds in the display window. Even his black-framed glasses chilled the warmth of a child's heart. He smirked and shook his head.

"I think it's pathetic, really," the man said. "They symbolize love forever, but where does that really get ya? Misery all the way to divorce." Tsuzuki blinked at him with a strange look.

"E-Excuse me?" he asked. The stranger looked up at him. His pale blue eyes reminded Tsuzuki of the first time he met Muraki. The young man chuckled.

"Sorry, just thinking out loud," he said. He held out a graceful hand in the snow.

"I don't believe we've met," he said. "I'm Saehara Satoshi."

"Tsuzuki Asato," the shinigami said as he took his hand and shook it. An icy feeling ran over the Shinigami. Instinct told him to get the hell away from him as fast as he could. Tsuzuki's eyes scanned for an exit while his mind dug around for excuse to depart from him. Satoshi drew back his hand. He turned back to the rings.

"So, who's the ring for?" he asked. Tsuzuki turned to the display as well.

"My fiancée," he replied trying to keep a brave face the whole time.

"Preparing to purpose?" the younger man asked.

"Already have," the shinigami said. "She said yes."

"Without a ring?" Satoshi asked. Tsuzuki nodded. His heart picked up speed. Despite the cold, he felt himself sweating buckets.

"Yeah," he said.

"What's her name?" the younger man asked.

"Anna," Tsuzuki let slip out. Satoshi looked up at him.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Satoshi smirked and turned to him. "Excellent, you're just the person I had to see."

Tsuzuki blinked at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Satoshi took a step forward. "I have a little proposition for you," he offered.

Fire sparked up in Tsuzuki's violet eyes. His hands tightened up into fists as his mind screamed, "Attack!" "What?"

_Make Him an Offer He Can't Refuse_

The fact that people were walking around shopping in the busy streets of Tokyo didn't faze this cold man standing before Tsuzuki at all. They might as well have been in an empty room alone together having this conversation. To the outside, they just looked like two men talking about their days in front of a jewelry store. Tsuzuki on the other hand, prepared to lead this man off somewhere if it came down to violence.

"Give your body to me," Satoshi ordered.

"Why should I?" Tsuzuki barked. "Who the hell are you?"

"My client wants to put Anna through a little trial," the younger man said.

"What kind of trial?" the shinigami asked.

"A trial of suffering," Satoshi said.

"Never!" Tsuzuki barked. Satoshi smirked at the potential channel.

"I'm afraid… you have no choice," he said. Tsuzuki grasped his fuda in his coat.

"And why is that?" he snapped. In a flash, the now-white-winged young man's lips touched the shinigami's ear. A whisper as cold as ice filled Tsuzuki's mind. The fuda fluttered straight to the ground. Satoshi drew back with a grin.

"So, what's it going to be?" he asked. A sickly-pale-faced Tsuzuki stood silent. Anna didn't deserve this, but he couldn't lose her to Ju-Oh-Cho because of their secret engagement either. Not like that. He finally dropped his head and mumbled his answer. Satoshi licked his lips.

"Good boy," he said. "Nice to do business with you."

"And Anna-chan?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Safe from lasting harm," the angel lied. The shinigami didn't believe him, but found it too late to back out now.

"Just do it," he murmured in gall.

"Easy there, little lamb!" Satoshi said. "The night's still young. Come walk with me." Tsuzuki lowered his shoulders.

"Fine," he said, repressing his rage.

"Good, good," the angel said. Both men headed into the dark, snowy Tokyo night. Tsuzuki kept another fuda in his hand for safe measure.

"Oh come on now," Satoshi cooed. "If I wanted to fight you, I would've done it then and there."

"I still don't trust you," the shinigami hissed. The other man only shrugged his feminine-like shoulders with a vampire smile.

"Fine, fine," he said. "Suit yourself." Tsuzuki gritted his teeth. _First chance that he tries to pull something, I will fight back_, he thought. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Downtown Party

_Chapter Two: Downtown Party:_

_Game Board Set…_

In the course of three days, Tsuzuki had been acting strangely. Nobody at Ju-Oh-Cho had seen him at work. His apartment hadn't been lived in since the morning of the tenth. Nobody knew where he went.

"Has he called you?" they all asked Hisoka.

"No," he told them. _Why would he? _Maybe he's with Anna? On day three, Anna sat in her room studying her notes when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey," Hisoka said on the other line.

"Hisoka?" the woman asked. "What's on your mind?"

"Have you seen Tsuzuki anywhere?" he asked.

Anna paused for a second. "Come to think about it, no, I haven't seen him. I was going to call and ask you guys the same thing."

Just by hearing her tone on the other line let Hisoka know that this case had turned dead serious. "You haven't?"

"No."

"Any phone calls from him?"

"No. Why? What's wrong?"

"I see…"

"What's the matter? What happened to Asato?" the woman asked. Hisoka hung up the phone. Anna frowned as her heart sank. _Asato-kun…_ The woman dialed her fiancé's phone once again for that morning. Anna waited as the other line rang.

"Hey, I'm not in right now. Please leave a message after the beep," his voice mail said. Anna's worry deepened.

"Hey, Asato-kun, it's me," she said. "Your coworkers are worried about you. Please call me back." Anna hung up the phone. Suddenly, there came a knock on her door. The woman glanced over at the sound.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Hey Barbie!" a woman yelled from the hallway. Anna quickly sat up in her chair.

"Lucy?" she asked. The Goth slid open the door as Anna blinked at her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"We're going out tonight," Lucy replied.

"Okay, so?"

"Midge insisted that you come along with us."

Anna turned to her, blinking. "What?" It took her a moment to realize that "Midge" was to Willow as "Barbie" was to herself. A sweat drop formed on her head.

"That's right. Now get off your ass, get dressed, and come on," Lucy ordered. Anna pouted.

"Willow knows I don't party," she complained. The woman turned to Lucy.

"Do I have to?" she complained.

"Yes, now get up!" the Goth said. Anna puffed up her cheeks.

"Fine, fine," she complained. "I'll do it." Lucy folded her arms across her chest.

"I'll stand right here as you do so," she said.

"Sheesh!" Anna sighed. She walked over to the closet to get her clothes.

"Ease up!" she said.

"No," Lucy said. Anna sighed as she dropped her shoulders.

"Jeez," she mumbled to herself. Does she even care that Asato-kun's AWOL? I told her about this yesterday. No use complaining about it now; they just won't listen. They are probably doing this to get my mind off of Asato-kun, she thought. Well, time to put on the brave face.

In thirty minutes, the girls were out the door. Anna stood in the doorway feeling awkward with a hazy, red face. Rihoko, Willow, and Stella all smiled at her.

"Oh! You look so cute!" Willow squealed. Anna looked down at herself. Black jeans and a light blue Cheongsam shirt, not exactly her choice in clothes. But Lucy kept pushing her. So, here she was. Come to think of it, her friends looked like they were looking for dates in the summer. She found herself between her friends style clothing choices tonight as she looked at each one of them. Three miniskirts, a halter top, a fishnet top, two t-shirts, two pairs of black fishnets, a pair of dark blue stockings, and all high heels. Rihoko looked more like she was going to a sporting event with her jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers.

"Yeah…" Anna mumbled to herself. Lucy gave her a hard pat on the back.

"She could do better," she said. Anna gave her a cross glance. How? _By dressing like a whore? Uh… no. I will pass. It's too cold for that._ Willow clapped her hands together.

"Right!" she said. "Let's go!" The girls headed into the city. Anna glanced over at Rihoko the whole time. She too wasn't keen on this party tonight. Anna turned back to the party animals.

"Why are we out here?" she asked.

"Cause, good for you!" Stella answered. "You and Rihoko just sit around in that house all day.

"I have school," the busty young mother protested.

"Well not right now," Lucy pointed out. "You'll be on break in a couple of days." Rihoko nodded a bit.

"True, but…" she started to say.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked. Willow turned to her with a grin.

"Kitty Cherry Splash!" she bragged. A sweat drop formed on Anna's head.

"Kitty what?" she asked.

"I found it myself," Willow replied.

"I see," Anna said as she forced herself to smile. _Oh boy…_

Kitty Cherry Splash looked like Hello Kitty's dream house on speed. Pink and glitter nearly blinded the girls. Lucy and Stella sneered at the building.

"This is Kitty Cherry Splash?" Stella asked. Willow grinned at her.

"Found it myself!" she said. "Like it?" The other women stayed quiet. Willow clapped her hands again.

"Right! Let's go!" she said. The American woman headed inside. The other women followed inside reluctantly. The inside looked worse. Pink and glitter times ten in here. Jpop music pounded inside the pink December air. The waitresses look like kitty girls. Same thing went to the guys. The woman looked on with strange looks. Willow turned to them smiling.

"Enjoy!" she cheered. Then, she disappeared into the crowd. Rihoko leaned over to Anna.

"You've got a weird friend," she whispered.

"Yeah," Anna said as she nodded. Most of the girls dove into the girly party vibe. Most of them did. Anna sat at the bar with her drink. Her mind wandered off with the music.

_Why am I here? I don't party. Willow knows that._ Anna never partied. She studied in her dorm and went to Photography club every week. Anna even stayed in on her birthday. So much so that the club had to kidnap her out for the twenty-first birthday. Anna shook her head at that night. Her mind wandered off to Tsuzuki. She checked her phone. No new messages. No phone calls, hasn't shown up for work, not stopped by his apartment or Kimoto Manor. He would at least call her back. Right then, Anna shared the boys' concern.

"Hey Anna," someone said. The woman looked up. Rihoko leaned in close to her face, smiling.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. Anna shook her head.

"This isn't my type of place," she said with a sigh. Rihoko took a seat next to her.

"I know what you mean," she said. Her roommate nodded. The paranormal otaku noticed her phone.

"Expecting a call, ghost-chan?" she asked. Anna looked up.

"Huh? Oh. Sort of," she said. The woman turned back to her drink. She breathed out and lowered her shoulders. Anna turned back to her roommate.

"You know what?" she said. "I'm going home. I'm just going to take a shower and go to bed." Rihoko looked at her.

"Okay…" she said. Anna paid for her drink, got up, and left. The big-breasted mama gave her a little wave.

"Okay… bye…" she said. And Anna was gone.


	3. You are My Angel

_Chapter Three: You are My Angel:_

_Kabukicho, Tokyo. Present Day._

A twenty-something hooker romanced the street looking for a john. Tonight had been rough. All of the good men had been taken. She had to her someone tonight. The hooker kept wandering the streets. Not many people were out in Kabukicho tonight. _Rightfully so_, she thought. Fishnets and a summer school uniform were not a good choice in December. The hooker shivered as the wind blew past her skirt.

_I need a man and dinner_, she thought. _I need a drink._

However, she looked up and saw her first wish. A potential john stumbled out of a pachinko parlor. Not exactly the type of man she wanted. Either sleep escaped him or he had too much to drink tonight. She could smell the cheap alcohol and cigarettes on his ruined black suit from where she stood. His black hair needed to be combed as some strands hung over bloodshot, glazed eyes. The hooker wondered if anyone was missing a mental patient in the area. He probably hadn't changed clothes since last night either. The hooker sneered a bit, but a man was a man.

_Right…_ The whore straightened herself up and approached the man. Her potential john looked up and saw a tasty treat with long silky black hair in a schoolgirl uniform. She gave him a cute, little smile.

"You look a little lonely tonight," she said. "Come with me. I make good company." The man's crooked teeth nearly made her jump as he smiled at her. She prayed he would say no, but he licked his lips at her.

"Sure, I would love that," he said. The hooker forced herself to smile.

"Okay, let's go," she said. They headed down the street. An uneasy feeling crept up in her. Halfway to her favorite love hotel, the man stopped. The hooker looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. The man didn't speak. She kept her eyes on him.

"Sir?" she asked. "Sir?" The hooker shook him on the shoulder. "Sir? Sir?" she asked. Suddenly, the man whipped around and grabbed her by the arms.

"Let me go!" she cried. The man slapped her in the face.

"Shut up, bitch!" he barked. The hooker whimpered at him. He dragged down a nearby alley and shoved her to the snow-coated ground. Before she could even get up, the man took off his worn black shoe and hit her about the face, stomach, legs and chest. When that wasn't enough, he kicked her in the chest and stomach. The poor hooker didn't even get a chance to fight back with his fists added onto the blows. The rotting smell of urine, booze, and trash made her head spin as she gave it her all to choke back her vomit. The pounding made her ears ring with each smack.

_Please make him stop! Get him off me! I just want him to leave me alone._ As if beating an unarmed young woman didn't thrill him enough, the man reached through her flimsy skirt, and took her stuffed pink Hello Kitty. He took off with her purse into the night. The bloodied and battered whore crawled out into the streets.

"Help!" she cried. "Stop him! He's got my purse! Stop him!"

Elsewhere, Anna made it back to Kimoto Manor. Dead silence floated in the dark as she closed the door behind her. _Seita and Yoko-chan must already be asleep_, she thought. The woman took off her shoes in the doorway and walked down the hall. She slipped into the bathroom, got undressed, and turned on the shower. As the hot water ran over her shapely body, Anna's mind wandered back to Tsuzuki. He still hadn't called her back. _Did something happen to him?_ Her heart began to ache. _Asato-kun, where are you?_

The silence came back when she cut the water off. Anna stepped out and wrapped a white towel around her body. Suddenly, an icy breath hit her nape. She whirled around with a gasp. Violet eyes stared deep into her greenish-brown ones. Anna backed up, catching her breath.

"Asato-kun?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Tsuzuki answered. "I am here." Anna's heart leapt wildly.

"Where've you been?" she asked. "You haven't called or been to work. Did something happen?" Tsuzuki didn't answer her. He closed the door behind him.

"Anna-chan, you are so beautiful," he said in a low voice. Anna blinked at the creepiness in his words.

"I'm flattered, but what's going on with you?" she said. Tsuzuki stepped closer to her. She saw no warmth in his eyes. They looked cold and dead in fact. His face came within inches of hers.

"So beautiful," he whispered. "I want to show my love to you right now."

"Show your love? What are you talking about?" she snapped. The way he said that made her blood run cold. Tsuzuki pushed her up against the bathroom wall and forced a kiss on her lips. Anna tried to push him off.

"Asato-kun! What's gotten into you?" she cried. "You're scaring me! Where the hell have you?!" She tried to leave, but the shinigami grabbed her wrist. Anna tried to pull away.

"Let me go!" she screamed. Tsuzuki shook his head.

"But I want to show you my love," he said. Anna's eyes widened in fear as he pushed her down to the bathroom floor.

"Asato-kun, no! No!" she cried out. Her cries fell on deaf ears, however. Tsuzuki sank to his knees over her and ripped open her towel. He unzipped his trousers and slid them down. Anna found herself unable to move. _My body… so heavy. My body feels so heavy._

Tsuzuki slid down his boxers and pushed her pale thighs apart.

_The temple had been vacant for three days. The priest went on retreat. So far, the temple had been untouched and still looked fresh. However, the goddesses felt lonely without him._

_One night, a thief broke into the pristine temple. He only had one motive tonight in the pitch blackness. He whipped out a bat and smashed up the glass walls and cases. He used a knife to cut up the sandalwood frames. The knife cut up the velvet pink curtains and the rice white screen doors. He knocked the cased oil down all over the altar. The thief bagged all of the goddesses' fine treasures._

_Finally, he came to the holy pool. The thief beheld such cool water._

_"Wow," he murmured. He slid open the glass and dripped his fingers inside. Like a savage bear, he drank up as if it would be his last drink. When drinking wasn't enough, the thief stripped down and took a bath. He relaxed in an endless sea of water. Best that he ever had._

_After his bath, the thief redressed and abandoned the ruined temple._

Tsuzuki sat up, panting. His cold, violet eyes trailed down to his beloved. Anna lied lay before him on her towel, naked and catatonic. He reached forward and pushed aside her loose strands from her pale face.

"Oh Anna-chan, you are so beautiful," he said. He kissed her again on the lips. Tsuzuki reached forward and wrapped the towel around her body.

"I'll cover you up so you'll have your dignity when they find you," he whispered. The shinigami sat Anna up against the back wall and kissed her on the lips once more.

"Farewell," he whispered. Tsuzuki disappeared into the night.


	4. Persephone Awakes

_Chapter Four: Persephone Awakes:_

Back at Kitty Cherry Splash, the girls noticed that Anna was gone.

"Where'd Anna go?" Willow asked.

"She said she was going home," Rihoko replied.

"Think we should call her?" Willow asked.

"Nah," Lucy cut in. "She'll be fine." Rihoko and Willow looked at her.

"You sure?" Willow asked.

"Barbie's not a child," the Goth said. "She'll be fine; she's probably in the shower right now or something." She noticed the concerned looks on Rihoko and Willow's faces. The Goth rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll go check on her." Rihoko and Willow smiled.

"Thank you!" Willow said.

"Whatever," Lucy said. _Anything to get out of this glittery hell_, she thought as she walked out the door.

She made it to Kimoto Manor in under fifteen minutes. Lucy slid open the door. "Hello?" she asked. "Anyone here?" The Goth peeked inside. "Barbie? You sleep?" she whispered. "Hello?"

Lucy stepped inside and looked around. _They must be sleeping_, she thought. _Still better check, though._ It took her a minute to take off her black platform lace-boots at the doorway. Lucy sneered as she did so. _I hate Japanese customs at times_, she thought. _So annoying._ Once the boots came off, Lucy went down the hall. Normal so far, but then she saw the bathroom light on.

_Hm? What's that?_ The Goth trailed the bright light and found Anna still sitting on the bathroom floor in a catatonic state with open blank eyes. A puzzled look came on Lucy's face.

"Barbie?" she asked. "What are you doing on the floor?" She received no answer. Lucy walked forward. "What happened?" she asked. "What are you doing?" The Goth waved her hand in front of Anna's face. "Barbie? Barbie?" she asked. Lucy tapped her on the arm with two fingers. Nothing; no response.

"Hm, strange," the Goth said. _This does not look good…_ She checked for a pulse in Anna's neck. Pretty faint, but there. "Okay," Lucy said. "Alive, but not good." She looked at Anna again. _Right…_ Lucy drew out her phone and dialed for help.

"Tokyo Emergency," the operator said.

"Uh yeah," Lucy said. "I'm in my friend's bathroom and I think there's something wrong with her. She's just sitting on the floor in a daze."

"What do you mean?"

"Kind of hard to explain, really." Lucy turned to Anna. "She's sitting on the floor staring out all zombie-like."

"Is she responsive?"

"No. She's not moving at all."

"At all?"

"Nothing at all."

"Is she breathing?"

"Yes, but barely. Can you please send rescue?"

"They're on the way. What's the address?"

"Kimoto Manor, block seven, Meguro, subarea four."

"Help is on the way."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye." Lucy hung up the phone and sat next to Anna. She straightened the tsukai's hair. "Help's on the way, Barbie," the Goth whispered. In twenty minutes, the ambulance took Anna to the hospital. Lucy phoned everyone to alert them.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Anna slowly drew her eyes open. A cool breeze waved over her face. A soft scent filled her nose. One of jasmine, cinnamon, ginger to be certain. Anna blinked in a haze. _Scented oil? Scented oil? Scented oil… _A small flame teased her ears._

Fire… _The rising scented oil brought her back to her senses. She tried to stay calm as she looked around. Burning scented oil danced at her bare heels. Her eyes trailed above her head. Thin, steel wires held her in place. Despite the heat at her feet, she felt cold all over. Anna shut her eyes and wished this was a dream. Icy, ghost-like fingers felt up her naked breasts._

"Good my dear, you're awake," a voice purred in her ear. Anna jerked her eyes open as a warm tongue caressed the skin.

"Asato-kun?" she whispered. She gasped as a blade touched her ribcage. The woman took in slow breaths as she felt ice steel drag down to her left hip. His hunger spiked at the crimson wine escaping the wound.

"So beautiful," he mumbled. "Skin so beautiful to cut." He licked up the blood on the blade.

_"Mmm! I can tell you are a goddess," he said. "Because you taste divine!" The knife found her right inner thigh and trailed down to her ankle. Such sweet, heated blood leaked out of the cuts and made thin trails down her body. The heated drops landed on the floor. He stepped back before it landed on his shoe. Next came her abdomen. The knife treaded on slowly down her skin. He licked his lips with hunger._

_Back to the ass. He felt himself growing hard in his trousers. However, he blocked out the sensation to focus on the foreplay at hand. Left leg to ankle. His breath quickened with each cut into her pretty skin._ So beautiful.

_She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her brain felt as if it was floating through murky water as tried to grasp what was to unfold before her. The knife cutting into her skin didn't help either. Pain and a stupor blocked out any cohort thoughts that could help her fight back._

Asato-kun, why? Why?

_And that's just the first bite of the appetizer. He hadn't even started her nightmare._


	5. Serpent

_Chapter Five: Serpent:_

_She hanged there limp, body full of cuts. He licked up the rest of the blood on the knife. Another hungry sensation fills him. He walks over to her. His fingers find her soft bare skin._

_"You are so good," he whispered. "Really good." He paused. "Hm? What's that?" He leaned in close to her ear. "What did you say?"_

_"Why…"_

_He pulled back some. "Why what?"_

_She slowly drew up her head. "Why are you doing this to me, Asato-kun?"_

_"Why am I doing this?"_

_"Yes!"_

_He smirked at her. His hands found her breasts. He licked her nape. "You are so beautiful." Kiss to the nape. "I love everything about you." Lick to the wounds. "Mmm, so warm. So beautiful." She whimpered at his touch. It only aroused him deeper. "Mmm, so attractive."_

_"Stop…"_

_He paused. "What?" She took in heavy breaths to keep herself conscious. Another sharp stab to her back. She only whimpered this time. He drew the knife to her waistline. His breath quickened. "Oh yes! I want to fuck you so badly!"_

_"No, please!"_

_He paused and gave her a sharp glare. "You telling me no?"_

_"No more."_

_"Are you telling me no?"_

_"Please stop, Asato-kun!"_

_Lust and wrath tangle together inside of him. "Bitch!" He picks up a baseball bat out the thin air and smacks her across the abdomen. She gasped out and fainted. Her mind just collapsed to all of that he had done to her in round one. She tried to keep herself strong through all of the dancing of the knife on her skin, but the pain and burning oil overpowered her brain. He shakes his head._

_"That set-up was getting boring anyway." He cuts her down and drags her down the hall._

Anna lied lay in a bed in the hospital. The nurse talked to the crew in the hallway.

"What's wrong with her?" Lucy asked. The nurse shook her head, but her face remained impassive.

"We haven't seen anything like it," she said. "Everything looks normal, but she's unresponsive."

"Is there a reason why?" Rihoko asked. The nurse shook her head.

"We'll still running the tests," she said. "But, we will keep you posted."

"Thank you ma'am," Emiko said. The nurse headed down the hall.

The shinigami came over to the hospital after Rihoko explained to them what happened on the phone. Originally, they tried to call Anna, hoping to find out if he had contacted her. Instead, Rihoko picked up the phone and here they were. Somehow, Anna's state and Tsuzuki's disappearance linked together.

"Anyone heard from Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi asked. Not a single person gave an affirmative answer. The shinigami knew something was off. Tatsumi looked over at Watari.

"Do a scan on Anna, ASAP," he whispered.

"I'm on it," the blonde scientist replied.

_Anna drew open her eyes to a white background. The pain drummed on in her head._


	6. Amanojaku

_Chapter Six: Amanojaku:_

_"Anna-chan, who made you?"_

_She breathed from the earlier blow. The pain drummed around in her brain. It felt as if her ribs are poking into her lungs. She used what little strength she has left in her brain to remain sitting up at the black glass table. "What do you mean?"_

_Smack! He hit her across the face. She whimpers at the stinging pain._

_"I ask the questions here, not you! Got me?"_

_She nodded as she whimpered again. _

_He sits back on his throne. "Good. Now who made you, Anna-chan?"_

_She can feel her head swim. The scented oil burns in here too. The pain and smell disorients her brain. She feels as if she was underwater. Every spoken word just sounds like an echo in her head. Her own thoughts sound slow and dragged out to her. She can't even understand the question he asked her. How can she even come up with an answer to keep him from bashing her face in even more? It hurt to talk. _

_He sits, biting his lower lip. "We'll, I'm waiting." She choked back a sob. He looked on with a cold smile. "Aww, are you crying?"_

_She nodded and whimpered something as well._

_"Hm? You say something?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Why what?"_

_"Why are you doing this to me? Why do you hate me, Asato-kun? What did I do to offend you?"_

_He gave her a little smile. "Why, you ask?"_

_"Yes." She tried not to cry. _

_He smirked at her as he sat back at his end. "Because I love you."_

_She didn't believe him. Usually when he said that, there is warmth and sincerity to it. Not this time; there was now no warmth. He said it like she's a possession, an object. He pretended to be sympathetic._

_"I really do."_

_"Liar."_

_"Hm?"_

_"Liar."_

_He sneered at her. "Liar?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Oh really?"_

_"Yes! You are a liar!"_

_He gritted his teeth at her. "I did not hear that."_

_"You are a liar!"_

_He raises his hand above his head. "Take it back now!"_

_"Liar!"_

_Smack! She went down hard on the frozen, white floor below. Drops of blood land inches from her. He panted as he stands over her._

_"Bitch!" He watched her huddled on the ground, trembling. She sounded like a beaten puppy in fear for her life. She tried to shield herself from more blows. His hunger ached to take this game to round two. But first…_

_"Who made you, Anna-chan?"_

_She began cry under the pain, smell, and confusion. Her lips trembled as she spoke. He kept his eyes on her dried blood-smeared face._

_"I'm sorry, what was that?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you there. Please repeat yourself."_

_"I don't know!"_

_He smiled satisfied at her answer. "Now you're getting it!" He picked her up and carried her further down the hall._

_One futon with four cuffs on each corner. He lays her down on futon and cuffs her wrists and ankles down in the spread eagle position. Once he tightened each cuff in a secure fit, he lit more belladonna oil and left the room. She'll come-to eventually._

_He finished round one. He could tell she had some fight left to her by the way she kept herself conscious and defiant long enough to this point. Lucky for him that he had some back-up in this prison. He smirked and licked his lips._

_Not to worry, he thought. This will make this game for more entertaining before Christmas. Time to step up his "love" to her. Luckily, he had just the thing._

The doctors and Watari came back with the scan results.


	7. BaiseMoi

_Chapter Seven: Baise-Moi:_

_Burning red jasmine oil._

_She slowly draws her eyes open. Everything around her feels like it's underwater. The smell made her sick to her stomach. Almost too sweet for her to take. She groaned in a groggy tone. The tiny flame in the dish mocked her. Her chest heaved with each deep breath. It was then a realization came over her._

The oil's keeping me weak_, she thought._

_"That's right, my love," a cold voice told her. Her eyes dragged forward. He stood before the bed. She tried to lift her head for a better view. He sat down on the bed._

_"What to know why?" he asked. "Okay then. I use the flowers of Persephone. The juice in the petals provide a sedative effect when inhaled." He pushed some hair out of her eyes. "Look at you. So sweet, so defenseless. I almost what to take pity on you." He smirked as he sat up. "Almost." He noticed her lips moving. "Hm? What did you say?" he asked. He leaned in close to her lips._

_"Monster…" she mumbled. "You monster." He sneered at her. She waits to be stuck again, but he does no such thing. Instead, he smirked and snickered._

_"So beautiful," he said. He forces another kiss on her lips. Bitter honey filled her mind. She gagged in his mouth as he forced his tongue in hers. She would have fought him off of her, but he had her chained down to the bed. Instead, she bit down onto his tongue, sending him reeling back in pain. He gritted his teeth as he snorted. Yet, he did not attack. He sat back and smirked._

_"You know what?" he asked. "I want to fuck you after all." Her eyes burned with fear and loathing. She wanted to express her hate to him in some way. She wished she could spit in his face. She couldn't form the words that she wanted at that very moment._

_He unzipped his trousers and pulled them down. No warmth existed on his face. Just nothing. No, that's not true, is it? Something did exist in those soulless violet eyes. Malice in guise of love, a dark, twisted love._

_He slid down his boxers and climbed on top. His lips curved into a hungry grin._

The temple still looked trashed from three nights before. The scented oil soaked the white, marble floor. All of the wooden cravings knocked in the puddles. All of the tapestry and paintings slashed. The incense and candles littered the altar. The pool still had the thief's traces in it. The goddesses tried to pick up the pieces, but failed. A flower-like poison had leaked into their home. The toxic had weakened them all to the point that they couldn't move. Their beloved priest hadn't returned.

But then, footsteps came. The thief had returned. He came looking for more blood. What more could he want? He already robbed the temple once. There wasn't much left to be destroyed. The pool still hadn't been cleaned.

The thief looked around and smirked. He only had one goal tonight. The thief walked over to the violated pool. The water felt the agony from his menacing presence. The Goddesses cried out for him to stop, but their voices choked out into silence. Not like he would listen anyway.

Once the thief disrobed, he climbed into the abnormally heated water. His mind tried to grasp this phenomenon. Nothing heats the water. It always stays clean in his eyes. The taste even had a desirable quality to it. The thief developed an obsession with figuring everything out about this mysterious water after the first bath. Ever since then, it haunted his dreams. He had to have more.

The thief dove deep into the holy water. The heated rapture overtook him as he shut his eyes. He felt as if his soul started leaving his body. His heart went into double-time.

_I can hear it singing to me_, he thought. The thief put his hands to his chest. _Come to me! Come to me!_ Suddenly, his body became lighter as he floated to the surface.

When he opened his eyes, the thief smiled to himself. _Perfect_, he thought. Then, he climbed out of the pool and went so sleep on the ruined marble floor.

She laid there limp like a little ragdoll in chains. He sat up over her before leaning down to her ear.

"I'll leave you time to think about how good that was," he whispered. He patted her on the head and left her with the burning poison flower scent in the room.


	8. Oleandar

_Chapter Eight: Oleandar: _

Watari stepped into Anna's room with the test results in his hand. Tatsumi lifted his head with a serious-looking face.

"Well?" he asked. The blonde scientist frowned as he handed him the file.

"It's just as I thought," he replied. Tatsumi opened the file and read the information. He had to look over the paper twice.

"Is this right?" he asked. "How is this even possible?"

"But it is," Watari replied. Tatsumi fought back the uneasiness as he looked at the results again.

"Opium and Persephone's flowers?" he asked. "Shit. No wonder she's like this." Both men looked over at Anna's bed. She laid there with empty, open eyes to the ceiling. The woman had been like that since last night. The nurses didn't get it. Anna's health status came up normal. No diseases, all of her internal organs functioned in top condition, brain activity showed healthy as well. The doctors couldn't understand why Anna was still in a catatonic state. Tatsumi shook his head.

"Couple that with the rape kit results…" he said in a hushed tone. Watari raised an eyebrow at him.

"Rape kit?" he asked.

"Yes," the kagetsukai replied. "They took one to cover all bases."

"And?" the scientist asked. Tatsumi clenched his fists.

"The results came back positive," he said through gritted teeth. "Serious trauma to the walls and entry." Watari winced at those words.

"That would explain how the poison got into her body," he mumbled. He turned to Tatsumi.

"Do they know who?" the scientist asked. Tatsumi shook his head.

"They can't get any trace," he replied. Watari pressed his lips together.

"Just like the poison…" he mumbled again. Suddenly, they heard footsteps enter the hall. Tatsumi and Watari turned to see Hisoka walking towards them. He looked as if he would collapse from lack of sleep from last night. His green eyes looked dulled over with shopping bags underneath. He looked as if he was about to get into tears at any second now. He clutched his phone in his trembling hand.

"Well?" Tatsumi asked. Hisoka shook his head with despair-filled eyes. Tatsumi gritted his teeth. He, Watari, and Hisoka turned to Anna.

"Damn it," Tatsumi mumbled. "Tsuzuki, where are you?" Anna still laid in her catatonic prison as Willow sat asleep from worry through the whole night by her bedside.

_December 15th, 2009._

Close to midnight. Tsuzuki sat in the kitchen of his apartment in the dark. Flames still burned in his eyes.

"That's your plan?" he asked with gritted teeth. "Huh?" The Shinigami hadn't let go of his fuda once this whole time. Satoshi nodded with a poker face.

"That's the thick of it," he concluded. "But, I can't do it alone. That's where you come in, my friend." Tsuzuki clenched his fists.

"But why me?" he asked. "Aside from my relationship with Anna-chan and my body, why me?" Satoshi cleaned under his left thumbnail.

"Oh… Just…" he said. "You'll leave a lasting impression when I do this." Then, the man reached into his gray coat lying on the chair. Tsuzuki clutched his fuda for attack. Satoshi glanced up at him with a small bottle in his hand.

"Easy there," he said. "I only have a little gift for you." The man set the bottle and a baggy down on the table. Tsuzuki glanced at the items before him.

"What are these?" he asked.

"Poppy petals and the juice of Persephone's flowers," the icy man answered. "Both of which I grow myself."

"You garden?" Tsuzuki questioned as if this piece of work of a guest had just asked for a blowjob in a foreign language that he just couldn't grasp. He blinked many times as he waited for an answer.

"Yes, yes," Satoshi answered. "Poppies and Perseph are my specialty."

"And what am I supposed to do with theses?" the shinigami snapped.

"You chew the petals and drink the juice," the guest explained. Tsuzuki gritted his teeth.

"If it's any constellation prize," Satoshi spoke. "You won't feel the effects of either; you're already dead."

"Why should I do this?" Tsuzuki asked.

"You'll see," the angelic devil said. "Just chew the poppy petals. Keep in mind, resistance is not an option in your position." Tsuzuki snorted as he picked up the baggy. He opened it up and emptied the dried red petals in his hand. Satoshi watched him with a smirk as the shinigami chewed and swallowed all of them in one bite. Tsuzuki made a sour face afterwards.

"Open your mouth," the guest said. "I want to see it all truly gone." The shinigami complied. Satoshi gave him a cold smile of satisfaction.

"Good boy," he said. "Now drink up." The shinigami's lips trembled as he struggled to keep his crumbling brave mask together in front of his captor as he picked up the bottle. He opened the lid and took a drink.

"Yuck!" Tsuzuki cried. "Why would you make me do that?" Satoshi fought back a laugh.

"It hides and enhances the opium," he explained. "Best combination in my option." Tsuzuki tried to stomach the bile taste. Satoshi gave him a moment before moving on. Tsuzuki eyed him with washed out sorrow in his eyes.

"Now what?" he asked. The guest licked his hungry lips.

"Wait two days and give the poison to Anna," he instructed.

_December 19th, 2009._

Round two of this sadistic game got under way.


	9. Circle of Fire

_Chapter Nine: Circle of Fire:_

_Two long, thin metal needles over a fire._

_The burning jasmine scent made her think of throwing up. She knew that she was virtually powerless because of it. He would keep burning this oil just to have his "fun" with her. She laughed to herself._

_"Oh lovely," she said. "Are you coming to cut me again?" He smirked to himself in the darkness._

_"No," he said. He walked over to the oven. The warm glow flashed over his dead violet eyes. He took a moment to breathe in the smoke. The sensation built up in his chest. His lips curved into a little, sick smile. The heat didn't faze him as he picked up the needle. He didn't react to the burning in his hand. It would heal up anyway. Good thing a shinigami had the ability._

_"Actually," he said with his eyes glued to the heated glowing metal. "I want to play a new game." She tried to glance behind her from where she hung. She opened her mouth to ask with sarcasm in her voice._

_Hiss! She drew in a sharp mouthful of air. The point made contact with her left hip. The sound of sizzling flesh sent little shivers down his spine. He panted like a savage dog at such beauty. The needle began its slow dance down her thigh. He could hear his heart pounding up to his ear drums. He let the heat inside his body build up brick by brick when he paused at her knee._

_She took in a deep breath to keep from screaming out. _I will not give him the satisfaction!

_"Deeper, deeper!" he sang to himself. The heated tip turned into the soft skin. She clenched her teeth tighter. The needle now stood in her hip proud and straight. He drew back his shaking hand._

_"Wow! That was better than I thought!" He had to swallow back some drool. _I want more!_ He drew out the other needle from the fire. The sizzling of hot metal against human flesh sounded better than any etenraku even played in heaven. His own bodily heat spread down to his member in a crawl. The smell of burning teased his nose. _Not yet._ He turned back to his hanging doll. She waited for the pain. His loving hand grabbed her russet locks in a bunch._

_Hiss! The heated point met the top of her nape. His lips curved into a pretty, smile._

_"This is better than cutting," he muttered. Then, he wanted to try something out. He licked his lips at the idea. Sparks lit up in his brain._

_"Deeper, deeper, deeper!" he sang again. Her breath quickened as she felt the long hot needle twisting into her skin. Another chill came down his spine when the tip hit the bone. This opened the door for more._

_His hand grasped the needle. _Oh yeah!_ He heard the sizzling in his loving hand. His member awoke in his pants, wanting in on the action._

Not yet!_ "Deeper, deeper, deeper!" he sang again. Only this time, he dragged the needle down her spine in a long, vertical line. The tip nearly touched the bone. She sucked in a big old mouthful of air as she closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the pain. He didn't do it in one go, mind you. He took the liberty of going inch by inch. The sizzling and cutting made his heart jump. His heavy breath hit her scarred up back. His eyes glazed over with hunger. The torpedo turned harder._

_The needle stopped above her ass. She opened her eyes. Over, right? Another sharp pain got her as he ripped out the needle. She could hear him grinning now, but the game's not finished. Another idea came into his head. He chanted an incantation into the second needle and yanked out the first one. Both of them heated up to Hell's fire in seconds._

_"Why aren't you using the oven?" She asked through gritted teeth. He looked at her through the needle in the foreground._

_"Oh, just for show," he said, nonchalantly. _Yes!_ The sizzling in his hands made his hard-on ache. _Just a little bit longer._ The first needle met with her waistline._

Don't scream out! Don't scream out! Don't scream out!_ The needle began its slow dance along her back. She breathed in harder. He traced along the scars on her back._

_"I wonder," he spoke up. "Which part is the most sensitive?" He dragged the needle from her shoulder to her mid back._

_"I'm curious to find out," he said._

_"I'm not telling you!" she snapped._

_"That's okay," he said. He traced the needle back to her lower back. "It'll be more fun to find out!" He heated up the needles even hotter in his hands. Both pressed into her lower back. This time, she cracked. She let out a loud cry in the emptiness. A twisted grin appeared on his lovely face._

_"Yes!" he cried. "That's it! Scream for me!" He dragged the needles around to the front. Sizzling against the skin made his mouth water. The caged beast wanted food now! _I… I… I can't help myself!_ He unzipped his trousers. She shut her eyes at the sound._

Oh shit!_ She could imagine what could come next. The needles danced down her cleavage to her abdomen._

_"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he yelled. "Scream for me again, my slut!" One needle treaded along her left breast. His knee pushed her shapely thighs apart. The needles danced down to her abdomen. The beast must eat now! The beast must eat now! The cool demeanor he had slowly began to crackle away with the fire in his hands._

_The needles danced down to her inner thighs. They weren't light on the trip either. No, no, no! He pressed in with all of his being. Pretty deep too. Her voice crying out drove him to push in deeper. He drooled over her whimpering. This led to another idea piggy backing on another. He smirked to himself and licked his lips._

_The needles moved to her right thigh. She tried not to scream out. The chains around her wrists only made it even worse. But not as worse as…_

_He pushed her legs even further apart. Time now to feed the beast. He drew out his member against the deep burns in right thigh. She winced at the burning pressure. The first needle found her breasts again. The point dug into the skin. But yet, that didn't do enough at this point. One more little thing to set it all off. The other needle trailed down her cleavage again and stopped at her navel. He smirked as he slowly drew it away for a few seconds._

_Five. Four. Three. Two. One!_

_Stab! The needle kissed her belly button. Even worse, she gasped in pain as she felt him drive it deep inwards. Not in one go, either. He drove it in inch by inch. He licked along her nape._

_"I wonder," he said in a pant. "How far in will this go to spine? Shall we find out?" She whimpered something incoherent aloud. He leaned in close to her lips._

_"No?" he asked._

_"Go to hell!" she forced out. He gritted his teeth as he sped up down below._

_"That. Is. Not. Very. Lady. Like. Of. You. Now. Is. It?" he asked in fiery temper as he worked himself up against her the healing wound in her inner thighs. As he spoke each word, the needle went in inch by inch. She gave it her all not to scream, but the last inch proved too much for her. Her voice drove him to the brink of ecstasy._

_At the climax, he drew back panting. She hung there limp like a little rag doll. He smirked at this work. She was still conscious, but half out of it._

_"That's it for this round," he said. He unchained her and took her into another room. Two rounds and she still refused to fold under. _This is more fun than I expected_, he thought. Time to bring out more damaging toys into the game._

_Set up for the next round._


	10. Ice Bath

_Chapter Ten: Ice Bath:_

_Icy fog all around. Burning jasmine filling her nose._

So cold…_ Anna regained her senses. _Why am I so cold?_ Her eyes trailed around her. Black waters all around. _Hm?_ It slowly dawned on her what this set up was._

_"Oh good!" she heard him say. "You're back." She jerked her head forwards. That lovely face smirked at her. She wanted to scream at those violet eyes._

_"Oh, it's you," she said instead._

_"Yes, yes," he replied. She looked around her again. A snort came from her lips._

_"I know I'm not going to like the answer to this," she said. "But why am I in a huge tub of cold water?" He held back a laugh._

_"Why do you think?" he questioned._

_She sneered at him. "Do I really have to?"_

_He gave her a little pout. "Please?"_

_"No!"_

_"Do it for me."_

_"I don't want to play this stupid game!"_

_He gritted his teeth. "Answer the damn question!" He placed his hand on the water. She sat stiff in place._

_"Cold!" she said through chattered teeth. The temperature of the water began to drop by degrees. The water had to be in the twenties by now. He smirked at her._

_"Isn't it? Answer my question," he commanded._

_"No!" she barked._

_"Bitch!" he snapped. Another touch to the water. The cold stiffened up her spine. _I… can't… move!_ She mashed her teeth together through the cold. He drew back his hand._

_"Now answer the question!" he barked._

_"I don't know!" she cried._

_He sat back with a cruel smile. "Very good. I will tell you. You look like you could cool off."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him. "Right…"_

_He shook his head, smiling. "Such a shame. Your rudeness is still too hot." He put both hands on the water. She felt it at her toes first and then it came at her whole feet. She fought to try and get out, but the cold hold her spine still. She felt her soul sink down each by each with the dropping degrees. The ice dragon in the water ravenously began to freeze the blood in her veins. If this kept up, the cold would crawl down to the marrow. He shook his head at her._

_"Uh-uh, you're not going anywhere, little girl!" he said. The devil laughed aloud in his eyes. She shuddered from her lover's look and the dropping cold._

_"Can't feel your legs?" he asked._

_"Shut up!" she barked._

_"Ooo! Watch your language!" he ordered._

_"Or what?" she snapped._

_"This might happen!" He dipped his right hand into the water. The chanting in his head grew faster. She gasped as the numbing cold hit her thighs and hips._

_"Cold, isn't it?" he asked._

_"I can take this!" she yelled._

_"You sure?"_

_"Yes! Try me, you piece of shit!"_

_He smirked as he tried not to laugh. "Okay, as my princess wishes." He rolled up his white sleeves and dipped his whole bare arms in. She watched him draw in a deep breath to add more of a punch. The top of the water started to ice over. He made sure that the process crawled like time itself. She put on a brave face._

_Funny thing, really. He never did like ice torture. Not as fun as heat and fire to him, but with her being still as stubborn as day one, well now… _This should be interesting_, he thought. He pumped in more ice into the water. She drew in another breath. She shut her eyes tightly. Don't crack! He wants that. Fight back! Fight back! She paused at that thought. _I can't feel my body._ The ice crept closer to her._

_Against her better judgment, she opened her eyes. Those dead violet eyes laughed at her. She gritted her teeth at him._

_"Stop smiling at me!" she snapped._

_He gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Why?"_

_"You make me sick."_

_"Do I now?"_

_"Yes!" The numbing cold ate at her abdomen. _

_He whistled aloud. "My, my, my. You don't have much time before you apologize."_

_"Why should I?"_

_"Oh… You've got to decide in the next ten minutes," he said. She cursed herself in her head. He gave her a jackal-like grin._

_"So, what's it going to be?" he asked. She kept her eyes locked on him. _Bastard!

_"Why are you doing this to me?" she yelled. He paused at that question._

_"Why?" he asked._

_"Yes!" she screamed. Silence passed over them for a long time. He tried, but just broke down laughing in the end._

_"Why?" he asked. "Apologize and I'll tell you."_

_"Never!" she screamed in pain. He sat back with a smile._

_"Fine," he said. He drew his arms out of the water. "I'll leave you to rethink that." She tried to fight off sleep as she lifted her head. "You wouldn't leave me here like this, would you?" she asked. He didn't say a word. He only stood up and walked away. The cold broke down her mask._

_"Asato? Asato? Don't leave me like this. You can't! Asato! Tsu…zu…ki…-ku…n…" she pleaded in a murmur. Her eyes slowly drew shut. And then… Silence._


	11. Aftercare

_Chapter Eleven: Aftercare:_

_She lay naked in his lap. His strong fingers caressed her reddish-brown locks. He pulled her out before she froze to death._

_"Sorry," he whispered to her. "I just can't let you die yet." She was part conscious. Her greenish-brown eyes looked dead with a dull, watery glass shade over them. He smirked and kissed her on the lips. "My love," he said. However, he paused and looked up._

_"Hm? You say something?" Pause._

_"Stop? Stop you say?" Pause. He laughed to himself._

_"No, it cannot be helped. You can't interfere, remember?" Silence. He turned back to his doll. "So sweet. So harmless." Pause. "Oh? Not harmless, you say?" He shrugged. "Well, okay. I'll give her that." He chuckled._

_"My client warned me about her, you know? Yes, yes. That's why I brought the poison." He looked at her again. "Quite amazing, really." He picked up some of her hair. "She looked so peaceful in pain." He sniffed the hair in his hand. "I almost want to ravish her right now." Pause._

_"No?" Pause. "Or you'll do what?" He smirked to himself. "Keep in my mind; you have no say in this matter. I can do as I like with her." He looked down at her again. "Look at her. No wonder you love to fuck her so much. I guess you're right about her. But yet…" He let go of her hair. He took in a breath. Pause._

_"Shhh, Give me a moment." He shut his eyes to take in the intoxicating power. Pause. "Shhh." Pause. "Shhh." Pause. "Shhh." He drew in everything around him. His lips curved into a smirk. "Ah yes," he said. "I wonder how long she'll last before she breaks at my hands." Pause._

_"She won't break, you say?" he asked. Pause. He smirked in the darkness. "Heh. Interesting. Dumb, but interesting." Pause. He laughed aloud._

_"Because," he replied. He clutched her battered, naked body close to him. "Everyone has their breaking point. And we're going to see how long it takes before this little baby doll reaches hers. No?" Pause. He didn't speak at first. Then, he let out a hard laugh._

_"Keep this in mind: I am in control of this game. You have no say in this at all. If you intervene, I will act on my promise! You got me?" Silence. He sat back, smirking._

_"Good boy," he said. Her senses were still high and sharp, but every word sounded so distant and underwater._

Meanwhile outside, things took a complicated turn for a growing problem.


	12. My Dear Friends

_Chapter Twelve: My Dear Friends:_

At ten a.m., everyone looked up when they heard footsteps. Becky Campbell and the girls stood in the doorway. Tatsumi squinted at her for a better look.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Where's Anna?" she asked. Tatsumi looked at her closer.

"Why?" he asked. Willow lifted her head.

"Becky!" she said. "You made it!" That statement triggered something in Tatsumi's brain. _These are Anna's American friends!_ Becky turned behind her to the other girls.

"I found the room, girls!" she yelled. Tatsumi cut Willow a heated glare as the others walked into the room. She trembled as she gave him a little shrug.

"Willow, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked through clenched teeth. The color drained from her face.

"Now," the secretary hissed. The woman swallowed hard. She quietly got up and followed him out the door.

"What are they doing here?" Tatsumi barked at her on the roof.

"I called them here!" Willow whimpered.

"Why?" he snapped. She fidgeted a bit at first. Tatsumi's mood burned faster.

"Tell me why!" he shouted. Willow shut her eyes.

"They are her friends!" she yelled. "They deserve to know what happened to her!"

"She's supposed to be dead by her uncle's hand months ago, remember?" the kagetsukai snapped. "Or did that little fact slip your mind?"

"They had to know!" she whimpered.

"Don't you realize you just made things worse by doing so?" he yelled. The woman's voice disappeared in murmurs. Tatsumi took a heavy breath. Lucky that hospital security was on break right on.

"I'll deal with you later," he grumbled. He turned to the door.

"They have to go ASAP, understand?" Tatsumi asked. Willow swallowed and nodded.

"Good," the secretary replied. "Come along and hand over your phone." The slender redhead's face paled at the last command.

"What?" she cried. Tatsumi glanced over at her.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. Willow stiffened up fast. Her dark berry sweater and jeans had more color than her complexion now.

"No!" she yelped in a small voice. She guiltily reached into her pocket and held out her phone to him as she walked over. Tatsumi grabbed it and stashed it into his jacket. Without any words, the pair headed back into the hospital out of the morning cold.

"Be easy on her, Tatsumi. She's just worried about Anna as much as we all are."

Back in Anna's room, Hisoka and Watari looked at all of Anna's American friends. The girls whispered to each other about guesses to what happened to their friend from what the boys could gather.

"What do we do with them?" Hisoka whispered to Watari. The blonde scientist shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm looking up about them right now," he said.

"Huh?" the boy asked. Watari turned his laptop to him. Hisoka looked on with him. He raised an eyebrow at the screen.

"Their Facebook profiles?" he asked.

"Yeah," Watari replied. "I hacked into Anna's account and got plenty of information." First profile.

"Becky Campbell. Leader of the group and native of San Diego, California. Total people-person and loves to talk!" Watari clicked on the next profile. "Of course, we already met Willow Mayer. Crazy girl from Sacramento, California. Got her B.S. in Modern Art." He clicked on the next profile. "And here we have…"

"Oi!" they heard a woman yell at them. The boys quickly looked up. A woman with wavy dirt blonde hair to her waist gave them a hawk-like look in her eyes.

"If you want to get to know us so badly," she barked. "Talk to us; don't look us up on Facebook!"

"Okay," Watari said. "What are your names?" The blonde drew back.

"Angie Waters," she said. "I'm Italian-American and this is my daughter, Sarah." She shoved forward a little girl about Yoko-chan's age with baby blonde hair.

"Hi…" Sarah mumbled as she gave a little wave.

"Gillian Gilbert," a woman with a Pink Floyd t-shirt said. "I got my B.S. in music history and I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan."

"Clare Ainsworth," a skinny blonde replied. "Going into grad school for my masters at long last. Type-one diabetic and I hate it."

"Lisa Meriwether," a purple-haired woman said. "Art teacher assistant for a kindergarten class in San Diego. Nice to meet you."

"Edith Carpenter," a short-haired brunette said. "Married to a fine cop for Los Angles. Pleased to meet you."

"Amy McCarthy," a Chinese-American woman said. "I'm a DJ in Los Angles. How's it hanging?" The Shinigami gave her a little wave.

"Nice to meet you…" Hisoka mumbled. _How did you all manage to get to this part of the hospital without security turning you away?_ Now how to get rid of them…

_Back inside for round three…_


	13. A Terrible Beauty is Born

_Chapter Thirteen: A Terrible Beauty is Born:_

_Pink and black._

_She fluttered her eyes open to the devil's warmth. The room gave off a love hotel vibe. Black, pink, and Hello Kitty puked themselves onto the walls. Dolls, stuffed animals, and other toys all stared her down. She looked and noticed the pink cage around the pink and black Hello Kitty sheeted bed. A big stuffed Hello Kitty sat in a swing in the corner above her head. She made a strange face._

_"What the…?" she began to ask. She paused and looked down at herself. She found herself dressed this time, but in a frilly-lacy black and white baby doll dress with black stockings. Her hair had been put up into two pigtails with black bows. She let out a forced chuckle._

Okay… This is creepy…

_"You're awake," she heard someone say. She looked all around her. That's him, alright, but where was he?_

_"Okay," she said. "What is all of this?" Violet eyes flashed in her mind._

_"Uh-uh," he said. "Daughter does not ask questions." She blinked wildly._

_"Daughter?" she asked._

_"Yes, yes, you are the child and I am your daddy!" he said. She shook her head._

_"Oh hell no!" she barked. She got up to try and leave the cage._

_"Don't move!" he barked. She sat back in place. Her eyes shifted around the childish Hell._

_"And why should I?"_

_"I can see you!"_

_She tried to keep a brave mask as she looked around. "Where are you?"_

_"Daughter should not ask questions!" Slap! She fell back onto the pink and white bed._

_"Ow!" she cried. Slap! "What the hell?" SLAP! She only whimpered this time. He gritted his teeth._

_"You don't talk back to me!" he barked. His hands wrapped around her pale throat. "You understand me?" She gagged in reply. He smirked at her and forced a kiss on her lips._

_"Good girl," he said._

_"Aww," he cooed. "Why so sour?"_

_"Don't look at me like that," he said. "Daddy wants you to smile." She didn't speak._

_"Smile for Daddy," he commanded. She only looked on with contempt._

_"Smile for Daddy!" he screamed in her face._

_"Go to hell!" she hissed._

_"Smile, you bitch!" he shrieked. Smack! Heavy pressure to her chest. She didn't understand it_. I can't see him, but why can I feel him?_ Another smack came to her chest. 2x4 force too. She drew in a hard breath._

_"Smile for Daddy!" he yelled. She forced herself to do so in pain. He drew back, smiling._

_"Good girl. I would hate to get blood on your pretty clothes." He sat on the bed. A terrible beauty is born._

_"In fact," he spoke. "You've been a naughty girl." He flipped her onto her stomach._

_"You need a good spanking," he said. She glanced up at him, but he pushed her back down. He grinned to himself. Not exactly sex, but good enough. He flipped up her frilly black and white skirt. The pink Hello Kitty panties screamed, "Hit me!" to him. _Oh, I sure will!_ He pulled out his belt and looped it together in his hand. Slowly rising up…_

_Whack! The first hit made her scream. The sound stirred his cock wide awake._

_"Yes!" he yelled. "That's it! Scream for me!" Second whack. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Tenth. Thirteenth. Twenty-seventh. The hits kept coming too. These weren't little, flirty hits to the bum either. His eyes filled up with the color of blood when the whole concept of this first entered his brain. The man went to town with the beating. His "daughter" tried to stomach his animal-like panting and moaning. Each hit drove him faster with the belt. She cried out when she felt herself bleeding._

_"Take it, slut!" he shouted. More whacks followed behind. Drops of blood hit his cheeks and forehead._

_"Yeah! Yes! Yes! Yes!" he shouted aloud. The savage heat reached the climax in his brain. "My goddess!" he cried like a hungry animal. He sat back, panting. He looked down at his "daughter." She lay there half-out of it once again. She unconsciously tried to catch her breath. The pain numbed out her brain worse than the heated needles did. Her fine ass ended up bloodied and bruised. He smirked and licked his lips at his work. He stroked her head._

_"Good girl," he whispered to her. "Don't disobey me ever again. Understand?" She didn't speak. Thin tears trailed down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb._

_"Aw, poor little baby doll," he said. He flipped her onto her back and spread her out into the blood eagle position. He took the cuffs from each corner of the bed and fastened her wrists and ankles down in place. He sat back and admired his work. A terrible beauty is born._

_"Beautiful…" he mumbled. _So beautiful, why not…_ He slid off his trousers and boxers and cast them aside. He mounted his "daughter" after he slid off her panties. A terrible beauty is born._


	14. Gentleman's Business Deal

_Chapter Fourteen: Gentleman's Business Deal:_

_December 15th, 2009_.

Satoshi sat inside a cosplay café. Everyone had the infectious Christmas cheer. The maids resembled Santa's little whores with their red miniskirts and matching little tops. Satoshi tuned out the Christmas songs around him.

Satoshi looked up at the Hello Kitty clock against the back wall. Ten minutes past noon already. He's late, he thought. Of course, this was expected. They had known each other for years. His friend was always late. _I'll give him five more minutes_, Satoshi thought. He looked up and noticed a Santa waitress staring at him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can I get you anything else?" the woman asked. Satoshi shook his head.

"No, no, I'm good," he said.

"Okay," the waitress replied. She returned to the singing chorus at another nearby table. Satoshi turned back to his spiced tea. _Five more minutes…_

The bells on the door jingled as the door opened wide. Satoshi looked up and smirked. _Finally_, he thought. A man in black looked around the café. The waitresses all drooled at this older man in black. His skin was a powder pale. He had his black hair gelled this morning. Even the scar under his left eye looked oddly attractive. Satoshi gave the man a cold smile as he walked over to him.

"Ah," he said. "You're looking well, my dear friend, Asmodeus. Considering…"

"Yes, yes," the demon said as he took a seat. The men didn't speak at first. Satoshi smiled at his old friend.

"Alright," he said. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?" Asmodeus asked.

"You never call to meet me anywhere unless you want something," the other man said. "So, spit it out. What's on your mind?" The demon held up his arm and a waitress came to his side.

"Yes?" she asked.

"One tea, please," Asmodeus said.

"Would you like to try our holiday special?" she asked. "We mix tea with all sorts of yummy spices." The demon shook his head.

"No, just regular green tea," he said.

"Okay," she replied. The Santa waitress disappeared to the back.

"Well?" Satoshi asked. Asmodeus held up his hand.

"Shhh," he said. "Not until after my tea." The other man sat back.

"Well?" Satoshi asked. Asmodeus held up his hand.

"Not until I had my tea," Asmodeus replied. Both men sat quiet as the waitress returned with the tea.

"Here you are," she said.

"Thank you, miss," Asmodeus said. He took a sip as she left.

"Ah, good tea," he said. The demon turned to his friend.

"Ah yes," he said. "I have a little job for you." Satoshi looked on at him.

"Really?" he asked. His demon friend nodded.

"Yes, yes," he said. "Consider this a handsome Christmas present from me to you." Satoshi raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought you demons didn't do Christmas," he said.

"A myth, my dear boy," Asmodeus spoke.

"Ah," the other man said. The demon took another sip of his tea. Satoshi kept his eyes on him.

"So, what's this job?" he asked.

"Ah yes," Asmodeus said. He leaned in close to his friend. "I want you to torment someone for me."

"Who?" Satoshi asked. The demon reached into his coat and pulled out a photograph. The other man studied it for a minute.

"Her name is Kimoto Anna," Asmodeus replied. "That's the one who almost killed me."

"I see," Satoshi replied. "She's cute." But then, another thought crossed his mind.

"Asmodeus," he said.

"Yes?" his friend asked over the tea.

"Why me?" Satoshi asked. "Why do I deserve such generosity? Why aren't you tormenting this young lady yourself?" The demon took another drink of his tea.

"Ah, you see," he said. "I'm still not fully recovered yet." Satoshi blinked at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You see," he went on. "You angels and we demons have different ways of healing our bodies. My body may be healed, but my powers aren't back yet." He set down his cup. "As for your first question."

"Yes?" Satoshi asked. Asmodeus gave him a little smirk.

"Because," he said. "You are perfect for this job. You and I share the same taste in sadism."

"This is true," Satoshi replied with a nod.

"But," his friend cut in. "There is more." He reached into his coat and pulled out another photograph. Satoshi looked on with a puzzled look.

"Is that…" he asked.

"Yes," Asmodeus said. The other man blinked at first.

"But… what does Tsuzuki have to do with the job?" he asked.

"You know he and Anna are in a romantic relationship, right?" the demon replied.

"Yeah," Satoshi replied.

"Well, use that to your advantage," Asmodeus said. The angel pondered this for a moment. Suddenly, an idea came to him. His thin lips curved into a smile.

"You know," he said. "He might make a good tool to me after all." Asmodeus smiled.

"How?" he asked. However, he held up his hand. "Never mind, don't tell me," the demon said. "I don't like a spoiler to a good show." The angel smiled at him.

"So, who's getting the tab—me or you?" he asked.

"On me," his friend said. "Also part of your gift."

"Ah," Satoshi replied. "You are way too generous to me."

"Yes I am," his friend agreed. "Yes I am."


	15. Leda's Swan

Chapter Fifteen: Leda's Swan:

A sudden blow: the great wings beating still

Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed

By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill

He holds her helpless breast upon his breast

How can those terrified vague fingers push

The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?

And how can body, laid in that white rush,

But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?

A shudder in the loins engenders there

The broken wall, the burning roof and tower

And Agamemnon dead.

Being so caught up,

So mastered by the blood of the air,

Did she put on his knowledge with his power

Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?

-Leda and the Swan by W.B. Yeats

_Struggle. Struggle. Struggle. All of the goddesses lay crumpled and battered on the damaged temple floor. Hurt the most was Konohanasakuya-hime. She hadn't healed since the first night. The thief had the most fun ruining her. She had the burns on her back to prove it. In fact, she lay there in a coma. The other goddesses watched her._

_"Poor angel," Kichijoten whispered._

_"What can we do?" Uke Mochi asked. "We can't even fix ourselves." The thief had left some seeds around this once proud temple. These seeds sprouted up into Persephone's Flowers. The jasmine-scented pollen neutralized their powers, making them sick and weak. Konohana took it the worst. The poison spread through her lungs and body, putting her into a coma._

_"Where is our priest?" she asked before she lost consciousness. Amaterasu held her in her arms at the time._

_"Where is he?" Benzaiten asked. They couldn't answer that. None of the goddesses could contact their beloved priest. They lacked the strength to do so. Konohana suffered the worst. She didn't stir._

_"Is she still with us?" Uke Mochi murmured._

_"Yes," Amaterasu murmured. "Barely, but she's still there." Their eyes stayed upon her. Her pink and light blue kimono lay in shreds around her. Her stringy black hair lay in the split scented oil on the floor. Deep purple bruises coated her lovely face. Her consciousness shut down in defense._

_"Her light's weak," Otohime whispered. "I don't know how long she'll last."_

_"How long will we last?" Kichijoten asked. But then, she paused. "Oh damn it, not again!" the goddess whimpered. She tried to hold back her vomit. Amaterasu reached over and rubbed her back just in time._

_"Shhh, shhh, there, there," she whispered. "Hold it all down." Kichijoten fought with her all to do so. In a minute, the sickness died down. She rocked back into place._

_"Oh," she moaned. "It's the pollen."_

_"I know," the sun goddess whispered. "I feel it too."_

_"But what can we do?" Otohime whimpered._

_"It's the flowers' fault," Tamayori-bime complained. "They keep draining from us." The others all looked up at her._

_"That's it!" Amaterasu said._

_"What is?" Kichijoten asked._

_"Look!" the leader replied. The other goddesses looked outside of their temple. Black rain fell upon the vile red flowers outside._

_"Looks like another long night," Otohime said._

_"But look!" Amaterasu said, pointing. The black rain wilted the petals and caused them to crumble._

_"What is-?" Tamayori-bime asked._

_"The rain is killing the flowers," the leader said._

_"But why?" Benzaiten asked._

_"Does it matter?" Amaterasu asked. "Let's get rid of these flowers now!" She grabbed onto her tattered dark blue and red kimono and crawled to the entrance._

_"But what about Konohana?" Otohime asked._

_"We'll get her later!" the leader replied in a shout. "Right now we have to fix ourselves! We won't be much help to her like this!" The other goddesses followed behind to the flowers._

_He sat over her, smirking. The sound of her breathing heavily made him hunger for more._

_"Aw, look at you, my daughter," he said. She still looked next to dead lying there chained up to the bed with her eyes blanked out and empty like glass. He took delight in defiling such an angel._

_"Look at her," he said. "She really is beautiful when she is in pain like this, isn't she?" Pause._

_"Hm?" he asked. Pause._

_"Never! I'll rape this little baby doll as many times as I like and you can't do anything about it!" he bragged. "No more complaints?" Silence. He smirked at himself._

_"Good," he said. He rose to his feet. "Now for the next round, we need to go to the kitchen." Pause. He chuckled before he turned and walked to the pink and black door._

_"Oh, your culinary skills will come in rather handy for tonight's dinner," he replied. All she heard was his chuckling in a heartless way and the door closing behind him._


	16. Love is Like a Sin

_Chapter Sixteen: Love is Like a Sin:_

_She came back to her sense. The big Hello Kitty hell spun around her. Once again, the jasmine scent of the poison made her want to throw up. Confusion disoriented her state of mind. It didn't make sense._

Why is he doing this to me? _This was the man she loved. He vowed to protect her with every kiss. He cherished her with each caress. He showed her his feelings every time they made love. She even accepted his proposal. It didn't make sense. She shut her eyes as the sense began to rebuild itself after some much mugged up poison._ Why Asato-kun? Have I offended him somehow?

_No, that's not it. She dug in her brain to find the answer. However, the pain kept her distracted. I think I'm going to be sick, she thought. She fought to keep it all down. She would not give him the satisfaction if he was watching her. _Oh god! _She jerked her eyes wide open. Hundreds of plastic black eyes. All staring at her. The cage didn't help either._

I'm an animal in a carnival_, she thought. And these toys are watching me. From there, a new emotion sprang to life. She gritted her teeth._

_"What are you all looking at?" she snapped. "I'm not some wounded freak on display! Fuck off!" Naturally, her audience didn't speak, but boy did they laugh. She could hear them laughing at her. She clenched her teeth harder._

_"Stop laughing at me!" she barked. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" She shook the chains as she screamed out. What's the point? They couldn't hear her and they couldn't talk. They only laughed at her with their big, cute plastic eyes. She grunted in her frustration._

Get a grip, stupid! This is his doing! He's making you like this! Fight it out! _She took in a heavy breath._ Right… _Now, she was back where she started. She took another breath. How long has it been? Days? Weeks? She shook her head. No, it couldn't be that long. She heard Becky and the others' voices on the outside. Her American best friend kept asking the doctors questions. At first, she thought that she was hearing things, but the voices outside didn't go away, they just got clearer and louder by each second._ _She paused on that thought._ Wait a second! If I can hear my friends, then… Of course! My body must be in a hospital somewhere. _She paused from there._ But… if my body's in a hospital, then where am I? Why am I here? And how do I get out?

_Suddenly, she heard wings flapping. She glanced above her to see a single white feather sailing down to her chest. A hazy whisper filled her ears. She chuckled to herself in misery._

_"A dinner party?" she asked after she heard the feather's hidden message from the breeze. "How cute! I wonder what he's got planned for me this time."_


	17. Dinner Party

_Chapter Seventeen: Dinner Party:_

_A beautifully set table: white silk tablecloth, gold chopsticks, a bouquet of fresh cut irises sat in a vase, and a single white candle lit on the table. He sat at this lovely table, drinking sake. He looked nice on this occasion in black and white traditional kimono. His lips curved into a twisted smile._

"Ah!" he said. "That's good!" He looked up when he heard the door slide open.

"Oh good," he said. "You're here."

_Not by choice; he made her come here. How? That damn white feather that landed on her chest. It dissolved into her body and her chains fell off. Suddenly, her body sat up for no reason. She wasn't in control anymore, so she couldn't stop herself._ What's happening to me? _Once the cage door opened, she just simply walked out. Not like when Meixiang took control of her body out of hiding; this had malice backed with it in foul-scented way._ _In twenty minutes, here she was. In huge dining hall-like set-up. He smirked at her._

_"Take a seat," he commanded. Her feet led her to the chair and she sat down._

_"Good girl," he said. "You look a little hungry." He picked up his golden spoon._

"_Try the soup!" he said. "I made it myself. You'll like it." As he spoke, her hand picked up her own spoon. He saw contempt in her eyes. It was to be expected. She's still refused to be broken. This meal would speed things up._ _He dipped his spoon into the soup. Against her will, she took the first bite. Disgust shot through her brain._

_"What is this?" she cried._

_"Pumpkin soup with bitter herbs," he replied. "Eat it!"_

_"No!" she whimpered._

_"I said eat it!" He forced her to finish the bitter soup. Oh what a good time to throw up now. Yet, pride refused to let her give him the satisfaction._ Gross! _He lowered his spoon._

_"Yum!" he said. "Now for the second course." He rang a white gold bell on the table. A shadow-like creature appeared with a silver tray in its hands. He took the tray and nodded. He served the bamboo plates. She looked down at the meal. She recoiled in disgust at her plate._ Live snails? _He gave her a twisted smile._

_"Eat up," he said. Like a puppet master with a marionette, he made her pick up a snail and put it in her mouth. Her face twisted into about to throw up as she chewed and swallowed the raw, live creature._

_"Open your mouth," he ordered her. "I want to see it gone." She complied as she tried to stomach the first snail. He inspected the inside for a few more seconds. When he was satisfied, he smirked at her._

_"Very good," he remarked. "Now finished the rest."_

_"Go to Hell!" she hissed. He ignored her and made her eat the remaining six crawling snails. She kept trying to stomach each one. He took it in with each time she made a face. The checking of each one added insult to injury._

_"Now for the main course!" he bragged. He rang the bell for the tray. Her mumbling caught his ear._

_"Hm?" he asked._

_"Why?" she questioned. Her captor made an odd face at her._

_"Why what?" he asked._

_"Why do you put me through this?"_

_He smirked as he took another sip of sake. "Again with the questions, huh?" He set down his glass. "Very well. Since you've kept up so far, I will tell you. It's because I love you."_

_"Liar!"_

_"What was that?"_

_"Liar! Return me back to me body now!"_

_He smirked as he shook his head at her. "I'm afraid I can't do that."_

_"And why not?" she demanded._

_"My, my, my, you talk too much," he replied. "I have a new rule now."_

_"What?" she asked. He put up two fingers and drew them out in front of him. She tried to ask what he was doing when she found herself unable to speak. She tried to do so, but her voice was gone. He sat back, smiling._

_"Much better," he said. "Just in time for the main course. Curry Peking duck with curry rice and natto along with goya chanpuru on the side." She recoiled again at her plate. He sat back, smiling._

_"Eat up, my love," he said. "It's all for you." She cast him an icy glare. What else could she do? He held her sitting in place and took her voice. She came close to throwing up halfway through this unappealing meal, but he refused to let her do so._

_"Eat," he commanded. She squeaked as if to beg him to stop._

_"No," he insisted. "You have to finish your plate. Otherwise, you won't get dessert." He continued to force her to eat the disaster known as dinner._ _When she was done, he set down the chopsticks._

_"Whew! That was good!" He glanced at his pet. False pity coated his face._

_"Aw," he cooed. "Going to be sick already, hm?" She gritted her teeth at him. He chuckled at her resilience._

_"Okay then," he said. "Time for dessert." He rang the bell once more. The final tray came to them. Bitter chocolate squares soaked with a bitter wine. He licked his lips at her._

_"Hope you're still hungry," he told her. "Because we're at the best part!" He picked up the chocolate and ate up. The squares tore up her stomach even further. The sickness reached unbearable levels. Still, he made her keep eating._

_"You don't want to hurt my feelings, do you?" he asked in between bites. "After all, I made this whole meal myself just for you." Down went more of "Tsuzuki's specialty" squares. After dessert, he raised his glass._

_"To us!" he said. "To us and our love." The bitter raspberry sake didn't help her stomach either. He grinned after his last drink._

_"Ah!" he said. Those cruel violet eyes turned to his captive. "And now, you can go," he said. Her restraints fell free and she hurried out of the dining hall._

_"Keep it all down!" he yelled after her. That lasted for only thirty seconds. In the hallway, she emptied out the contents of her stomach._


	18. Escape Flight

_Chapter Eighteen: Escape Flight:_

_Circles._

_Her head kept spinning. At least she felt a little better now; gave her room to think._

_There has to be an exit somewhere. She looked around the hallway. Willow's voice from outside filled her ears. My body's out there, but I'm stuck here._ Right… So how to get out? _She looked around again. _Come on, where's the exit? It has to be somewhere. Think, genius, think!

_She tried to dig through her tired mind. Shapes formed in puzzle pieces from her memory. Stairs. Stairs that led up? No, down. Stairs that led down to a narrow hall. She took another pause. The stone hall led to two glass doors. She shut her eyes and thought harder._ Focus! You can't let him win! Think! _She dug deeper into her head. The doors of course would be locked. So where would the key be? She frowned._

Of course, on him! That's what I would do. So how do I get the key from him? Even more so, where do the doors lead? _She tightened her fists._ I have to try! _She took her time pushing herself to her feet. The feather had long worn off in her body, letting her brain give way to the pain. She drew in heavy breaths to pace herself. _Take a moment through the pain._ After a few more breaths, she tried to hold her balance. She searched down the hall for anything. Nothing. Not even armed guards in sight. Something about this set-up screamed trap._

I have to try and see where those doors lead. _She took in another breath and started to take tiny steps down the stony hall. Her eyes adjusted to the pitch black. She kept her ears trained to listen for if he would attack her. She couldn't afford to screw up. One little mistake could lead to more Hell on her. The pain in her ribcage told her she didn't need any more._ _She took in another breath. The stone floor felt cold to the touch._ Easy there, stay focused. Boy this hall is long. _Her hands felt along the jagged brick wall as she walked._

_A cold breeze blew past her frilly black dress. Her eyes peered below her. The stairway looked like Charybdis' mouth wide open before her. Cold streams blew up in front in of her. She toughened up and nodded. _Here goes! _She took the first step down the stairs._ So cold! _She forced herself to keep going._ Just be careful. _More deep breaths followed_. Step. Step. Step. _Her eyes searched the pitch black. It looked_ _easy so far, maybe too easy._

He's plotting something. I just know it. Step. Step. There's no way he'd let me go that easily. So what's he trying now? Step. Step. Step. _Her heart jumped up many beats. She forced herself to swallow._ Focus! Just make it to the doors. _She pushed herself to keep walking down the stairs._ Step. Step. Step. _Suddenly, she felt a tight pinch in her neck. She swatted at it, but nothing was there._ What the-? Oh… _Her head began to spin and she fell back into the silent world as she fell down the stairs._

_When she came too, he stood over her, smirking. She breathed out in pain. He shook his head at her._

_"You poor soul," he muttered. "I trusted you not to escape and look what happened." He paused for a second. Her lips moved in a way to attempt some form of communication to him._

_"Hm?" he asked as he leaned down for a closer listen. The words trembled out in silence. He choked back a laugh._

_"Sorry?" he asked. "You're sorry?" He rose to his feet as he shook his head._

_"No, not sorry," he corrected. "Daughter should be ashamed." Her eyes widened at his dropping wrists._ No! No! NO!

_Blood-filled screams drowned the black nothingness._


	19. Monster on Tape

_Chapter Nineteen: Monster on Tape:_

_December 22nd, 2009._

The crew caught onto a hint of the game in the middle of the afternoon. Emiko, Hotaru, and Mike arrived at Kimoto Manor. Emiko knocked on the door. She and the other two demons didn't have to wait long for the door to open. Tatsumi looked at the trio.

"How is she?" Emiko asked. The shinigami shook his head.

"No change," he replied. "Watari-san's still working on breaking down the poison."

"Who's with Anna now?" Mike asked.

"Hisoka and Willow," Tatsumi replied. The demons frowned.

"And the Americans?" Hotaru questioned.

"Still here, regretfully," he answered.

"You have to get rid of them," Emiko reminded him.

"I know!" he said. Tatsumi then noticed a brown box with Hotaru's name, but the address was scrabbled in a mess in Emiko's hand.

"What do you have there?" he asked. The butch demon handed it forward.

"Oh, this came by our house by accident," she said. "That mailman, I'm convinced he needs new glasses each year."

"Alright," Tatsumi said as he took the box. "I'll get it to Kimoto-san when she recovers." He was about to close the door when Emiko stuck her foot inside. Tatsumi gave her an odd look.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You need to hear the tape inside," she said.

"Okay…" he said, missing the boat. Hotaru shook her head.

"No," she pushed. "You need to hear it!" The secretary took it all in.

"Fine, fine," he said. "Come in." The three demons followed him into the house. Tatsumi got out Daisuke's tape recorder and set it up. Emiko put in tape and hit play.

_Mysterious Tape:_

"Tell me, you are a good girl."

"I need to go to the hospital Asato-kun."

"Say it."

"Please Asato-kun. Let me go to the hospital."

"Say it!"

"Please!" Slap! A whimper followed behind.

"Now say it!"

"Please! I have to go to the hospital!"

"Not until you say it."

"I am a good girl."

"That's better. Say you love me."

"Asato-kun…"

"Say it!"

"I really have to get to… the… hospital…"

"Grrr! I said say it!"

Tatsumi waved his hand. "Stop the tape!" he choked out. Emiko complied.

"Well?" she asked. Tatsumi tried to form his thoughts to speak.

"Is that…?" he started to ask.

"We believe so," Mike answered.

"And is that…?" the shinigami asked.

"Yeah," Hotaru said with a nod. "Afraid so." Tatsumi sank back on the bright blue couch. He shook his head again.

"That can't be right…" he muttered.

"When was the last time you saw Tsuzuki?" Emiko asked. Tatsumi dug in his mind for the answer.

"We haven't seen him since the fifteenth," he said.

"The fifteenth?" Hotaru asked.

"Yeah," Tatsumi replied.

"I see," the loli demon replied. "Have you heard from him since?"

"No," the shinigami answered. "He hadn't returned any calls or showed up for work."

"I see," Hotaru replied.

"Had Anna heard from him?" Mike asked.

"No," Tatsumi said. "And even now we can't reach him. Nobody knows where he is."

"I see…" Emiko replied. Tatsumi looked at all of the demons.

"So what are you saying?" he asked. "You think Tsuzuki-san did…?" The man shook his head.

"No! He's not like that!" Tatsumi insisted. "Tsuzuki loves Anna too much. He would never poison and rape her like this!"

"Yes, we know," Mike cut in. "It's safe to say that an outside force may be controlling him." Tatsumi looked at him with big eyes.

"Like a possession?" he asked.

"Well we can't say without looking at him," Emiko said. She turned to the shinigami.

"Could you try to call Tsuzuki again?" she asked. Tatsumi lowered his shoulders.

"Little good it'll do," he said. The man drew out his phone and dialed Tsuzuki's number. After four rings on the other line, the kagetsukai frowned and hung up the phone. The three demons watched him as they waited.

"Nothing?" Hotaru asked. Tatsumi sat back, breathed out.

"Oh," she said.

"Now what?" Mike asked.

"Keep looking," Tatsumi said. His stomach flipped at the direction this could be heading.


	20. Welcome Home

_Chapter Twenty: Welcome Home:_

"Anna-chan," someone whispered. "Anna-chan, wake up." Greenish brown eyes opened to meet warm, violet ones.

"Asato-kun?" the woman asked.

"Sleep well?" her fiancé asked. Anna didn't speak at first. Her hands trembled against her green sheets.

"Is something wrong?" Tsuzuki asked. Anna shook her head.

"It's nothing," she lied.

"Bad dream?" he asked.

"Sort of," his fiancée said. Tsuzuki rubbed her hand.

"Let's go out tonight," he said. Anna blinked at him.

"Why?" she asked. Her man shrugged.

"Feel like it," he said. Tsuzuki kissed her on the forehead. "Now come on," he said. "Get up and get dressed." The shinigami rose to his feet.

"I'll be in the living room," he said. Tsuzuki turned and left the room. Anna sat in her futon, blinking. _Okay… What's going on? Am I… home now?_

"Come on!" Tsuzuki called again. "It'll be too late at this rate!"

"Alright," Anna said. She climbed out of bed and got dressed. She met up with Tsuzuki in five minutes. He gave her a gentle smile.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Anna smiled back.

"Yeah," she answered. Her man took her hand and led her out the door.

Snow floated down around them. Christmastime came to life this evening. Little children laughed outside. Anna stayed close to Tsuzuki. So many questions filled her brain.

"Asato-kun," she said. Her fiancé didn't turn around.

"Hm?" he asked. Anna swallowed a bit.

"Where did you go six days ago?" she asked. "You didn't call and no once had seen you. Did something happen?" He didn't answer. Anna looked on at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm here now."

"Asato-kun?"

He turned to her smiling. "Never mind. Let's get something to eat."

Anna blinked. "Asato-kun…" Tsuzuki grabbed her by the hand and led her further into the city. Anna forced herself to smile. Something kept nagging at her. _I think it's him…_ She held his hand tighter. Tsuzuki glanced over at her.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"Nothing," she lied. "It's nothing." He didn't press harder. The man only smiled.

The couple came to a small Thai restaurant. Tsuzuki opened the door. Only four or five people inside tonight. Anna took in slow breathes. _Maybe this won't be so bad. We're in a public place with people._Tsuzuki got them a table near the window. He pulled out a chair for Anna and she took it. He sat opposite of her. They both ordered Thai tea. Anna didn't drink hers right away.

"Asato-kun?"

"Hm?"

She lowered her glass. "About four nights ago…"

"Yes?"

"That night… really scared me."

He lowered his head. "I am so sorry."

"What happened there?"

Tsuzuki's hands trembled. "I'm so sorry!" Tears ran down his face. Anna gently held his hand. Tsuzuki quickly looked up. His lady gave him a calm smile.

"Take your time if you have to," she said. Her man nodded.

"There," she whispered. A waitress came by their table. She blinked at them with a face of puzzlement as she tried to figure out what was going on in this picture. The couple looked up and saw her.

"Uh… are you ready to order?" she asked.

"Yes we are," Anna replied. "I'll have the Pad Thai."

"Same here," Tsuzuki replied. The waitress wrote down their orders.

"Alright, your food will be out shortly," she said. The waitress disappeared to the back. Anna's eyes trailed back to her man. She could tell Tsuzuki burned to say something, but he couldn't. His woman held his hand. His eyes met hers. Anna gave him a little smile.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here for you." Tsuzuki forced himself to smile. The waitress returned with their food and dinner was silent. The couple cut through the park on the way home. They saw couples ice staking down the hill.

"Look!" Anna cheered. "That looks fun." She turned to her man. "Can we go ice skating some time?"

Tsuzuki smiled. "Sure." Anna nuzzled his ear. Her love turned to her with his own smile.

"Let's take a bath together," he whispered. Anna blushed at the suggestion.

"S-Sure!" she said. Her man laughed. _So cute!_ The shinigami walked her home. Everything seemed normal from there. No more questions followed. Tsuzuki ran her bath as Anna got undressed in her room. _Feels nice to have something normal for a change_, she thought. _So good to be home._

"Bath's ready!" Tsuzuki called.

"Okay," his fiancée replied. She headed into the bathroom. Anna sat on Tsuzuki's lap in the bathtub as they soaked in the heated water. He held her close to his body. Neither one spoke, but they relished in the tender moment they shared together. Anna rested her head on his chest.

_It really feels like I am home_, she thought.

"I love you, Asato-kun," she said in a low voice. Her fiancé glanced down at her.

"Did you say something?" he asked. Anna only smiled as she shook her head. After a bath together, the couple went to bed. They slept peacefully in each other's arms.

But by morning, Anna woke up alone.

"Asato-kun?" she asked as she looked around in her futon. She wandered all the way to the backyard deck. Tsuzuki stood alone in the snow, looking out. Anna slowly approached him.

"Asato-kun?" she asked. He kept his back to her, not responding.

"Asato-kun?" the woman asked again as she walked closer. He turned around. She froze in place. The violet eyes went cold again. He grabbed her by the waist and held her still.

"I will end you," he whispered. Her spine went frozen with fear.

_And then, fade into nothing._


	21. Love in the House of Excrement

_Chapter Twenty-One: Love in the House of Excrement:_

_His violet eyes mocked her. "Good morning! Sleep well?"_

_Her face screwed up in pain. "What was that?"_

_"Hm?" He smirked at her. "Oh, that. A little gift."_

_"A gift?"_

_"Yes, but that's over now." He pulled out a big silver box. "Now how to begin the next round." She stared at him with narrowed eyes, trying to connect the dots. _Did I black out?_ He opened the box. His fingers ran alone the silver and polished "toys." Her eyes stayed locked on the blades. The dull looks of some of them didn't help._

_"Which one?" he asked. "They look so entertaining." His eyes trailed to his victim._

_"I know! I'll let you decide!" he announced. Her eyes grew wide. He licked his lips._

_"Yes!" he said. He took her hand and led it over to the over to the tools. Cold metal, some of it jagged, she winced as one cut her finger. Red fluid oozed onto the metal. In truth, he was agitated. He gritted his teeth._

_"Someone leaked our game," he hissed. Her eyes trailed to him._

_"What?" Her fingers found another blade._

_"Yes," he said. "I don't know who. So…" He stopped her hand on the sharpest tool in box. She clenched her teeth so not to cry out at the flesh forced down upon it. He looked at her face with no emotion in it._

_"I'm taking my displeasure out on you right now!" he finished. He forced her hand on a sharp blade. He paused when he saw her lips move._

_"Hm?" he asked. "You say something?" He leaned in for a closer listen._

_"Why?" she murmured._

_He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why what?"_

_"Why do you do this?"_

_He only smirked as he forced her hand down harder upon the blades. She sucked on a mouthful of air to not scream. He smiled at her resistance._

_"Because I love you."_

_"Liar!" Slap! Still not good enough. He knew who leaked the game to the outside. He sneered at the thought. _Just for that, you both will pay!


	22. Sitting Target

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Sitting Target:_

_December 22nd, 2009. 6:00 p.m._

The shinigami and demons sat in the hospital cafeteria. Nobody spoke at first. Tatsumi lowered his tea.

"So what do we have here?" he asked.

"Tsuzuki's been missing since the fifteenth," Watari said. "He hasn't been by his apartment or to work."

"No one can reach him," Tatsumi added.

"Three days later, Anna is raped and poisoned into a catatonic state," Hisoka said.

"Then this morning we get the tape," Emiko said. The butch demon looked at everyone. "So what do we make of this?" she asked as she lowered her soda. "It sounded like him on the tape." Hisoka's hand trembled as he shook his head.

"No!" he blurted out. "That's not him! Tsuzuki's not like that!" Watari rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. Hisoka eyed him.

"We know," the scientist said in a low voice. "We know, Bon. Just calm down." Hisoka took in a bitter breath.

"Right," Emiko said. "We believe it's a possession." The shinigami looked at her.

"Possession?" they asked.

"We can't be certain," Hotaru answered. "We need more information."

"So where's the tape now?" Tatsumi asked.

"It's cool," Mike said. "I hid it here in the hospital."

"Where?" Tatsumi asked.

"With an old friend."

Tatsumi gave him an odd look. "Old friend?"

"Yeah, she's been put in this hospital since the eighties. She has mental problems." The demons noticed the crew's faces.

"It'll be okay," Mike insisted. "Her family is in America and the nurses don't ask questions." He rose to his feet. "Come on," he said. "I'll show you." Mike headed out of the cafeteria. The others looked uncertain.

"Well?" Tatsumi asked. Emiko shrugged.

"If he says so," she said. "He's yet to fail us, yet." The butch demon got up and followed behind. The boys eyed Hotaru as she gave them a little shrug.

"I follow Emiko-sama," she said. The loli demon got up and followed her housemates. One by one, the shinigami followed the demons.

They all came to their third floor by elevator. Mike led the way down the hall to room 320. Mike turned to everyone.

"I'll do all of the talking," he said. The demon turned back to the door and knocked on it.

"Who is it?" a small voice asked.

"It's me, Hana," Mike replied.

"Mikey?" the voice asked. "Mikey, come in." The demon opened the door and went inside. A middle-aged woman sat up in bed, looking at them. Her black-plum hair was pinned behind her ears. Her crow's-feet matched the smile on her face. The hospital gown swallowed her tiny frame in one gulp. She waved at the crew like a little school-child.

"Hi Mikey!" she cheered. Mike forced himself to smile back.

"You're looking great, Hana," he said. "Are you enjoying the gift I gave you in the tape player?"

"Yep!" she said.

"You still have it, right?"

"I think so."

"Let's see, okay?"

"K."

Mike looked in the tape player on the table next to her. He stuck a thumbs up to the crew. He turned back to Hana.

"Did I do good?" she asked. Mike smiled back at her.

"Yes," he said. "You did good."

"Am I a good girl?"

Mike patted her on the head. "Yes, you are a good girl." Hana only smiled as the others tried to understand this weird relationship before them.


	23. Mercy Kiss

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Mercy Kiss:_

In a few minutes, Mike made his way to the hospital roof. He lit up a cigarette and got lost in his mind. Seeing Hana did this to his brain. He couldn't erase all that he did to her if he tried. _All those years…_ He looked up when he heard footsteps behind him. Hisoka stood inches from the older demon.

"Oh," he said. "Still haven't gone home yet?" Hisoka shook his head.

"No," he said. "Watari just took over."

"Ah," Mike said. The boy joined him at the railing.

"Who is she?" Hisoka asked. Mike flicked his ashes over the edge.

"A ghost from my past," he said. Hisoka looked at him and listened. Mike breathed out.

"In '75, I was trying to seduce this girl in Yokohama," he began. "Pretty young thing, reminded me of Hotaru and Anna now." He chuckled. "Anyway, she was a good girl and I had to have her. In two weeks, she was mine. It was good, but then I met her mother six years later after she gathered up her courage to introduce her to me."

"Who is… oh," Hisoka said, looking at the door. However, he became puzzled. "But why does…?" he started to ask.

"She look so young?" Mike finished.

"Yeah," the boy said. The demon gave him a bitter smile.

"She been like that since she first came here," he said.

"Why?" Hisoka asked. Mike lowered the cigarette between his fingers.

"That's my fault," he admitted.

"How?" the boy asked.

"I fell for Hana too," Mike said. Hisoka blinked at him.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Yes, yes," the demon said. "I fell for both mother and daughter. Back then, I got greedy. I worked to seduce Hana as well. Pretty soon, I played them both." Mike paused when he noticed Hisoka's face. "What?" he asked. "They were hot!" The boy sneered at him.

"Pervert," he said. Mike shrugged.

"Hey," he said. "It's what I did! I am a demon after all. Get off me! I was in my wilder years then."

Hisoka frowned. "Anyway, what happened?"

Mike's tone became somber. "Ah yes. I played them both well. Then in '88, it came undone." It ached for him to tell Hisoka this next part, but he might as well go ahead and say. "Izumi found out about Hana and my affair. She didn't say anything for months. Then one day in July, that pretty young thing and I went out for a drive. In the city, she confronted me about her mother and me. I tried to deny it, but what was the point? She caught me and we fought. She was driving at the time. The argument got so heated that we collided into another car in the other lane. I survived, of course, but that pretty young thing and other driver died on impact." Mike's hand trembled as he replayed the crash in his hand.

"Damn it! It's because of me Izumi's dead! Hana was so devastated that she went into a coma. In '97, Hana woke up, but her mind regressed into a childlike state that you saw tonight. Her son and ex-husband are all the way in Florida and haven't talked to her since the divorce. I'm all she has left now." He clenched the cigarette between his fingers. He cursed under his breath.

"Well at least she has someone," Hisoka murmured. The demon turned to the shinigami. The younger of the two looked like he would cry. Mike looked at him in pity.

"I'm so sorry, boy," he said. "We'll get him back." Hisoka looked away and said nothing. He closed his eyes to stop the hole in his heart from reopening all over again as he thought about Tsuzuki and how his partner now loved another over him.

Meanwhile, Hana's room door opened wide. The woman turned her head at the sound. A man with violet eyes and a black trench coat walked inside. The patient sat up, confused.

"Who are you?" she asked. The man walked over to her and gently put a finger to her lips.

"Shhh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep. I'm just a guardian angel of dreams. Just go to sleep. Go to sleep." Hana slowly lay back down and closed her eyes. The "angel" drew back his hand.

"Good girl," he whispered. Suddenly, the "angel" paused.

"You poor soul," he whispered. "You have suffered so much." He put his hand upon her forehead. "I will fix you," he said. A soft light entered her body. As the spell took effect, the "angel" looked over to the table on the left and spotted the tape player. A twisted smirk came onto his face.

"Consider this an exchange for your ex's gift," he said. When the light died down, he turned to the sunny yellow tape player and got to work.


	24. Silent Spring

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Silent Spring:_

_December 23rd, 2009. 7 a.m._

Mike received some shocking news the next morning. His phone rang before sunrise.

"Hello?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Mike-san?" a woman's voice asked on the other line.

"Yes?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Yamamoto-san's condition has changed!" the woman announced. Mike's eyes opened wide.

"Nurse Yamaha?" he asked. "What did you say?"

"Yamamoto-san's condition has changed," the nurse repeated. The demon sat up in bed.

"Changed?" he asked. "Changed how?"

"It's hard to say," the nurse said. "She kept asking for you. Only…"

"Only what?" Mike asked. The nurse paused on the other line.

"She kept asking for 'Mike-kun' not 'Mikey,'" she said. Mike froze at that revelation.

"I'll be right over," he said. The demon leapt out of bed and raced to get dressed. In an hour, Tatsumi and Mike made it to the hospital. They rushed all the way to Hana's room. The woman sat up in bed, staring at them. Gone was the child-like glow in her face. She had no emotion.

"Mike-kun?" she asked. The demon stepped forward.

"Hana?" he asked. "Hana, what happened?" His ex clutched her sheets.

"It's been so long," she said.

"Yes, it has," Mike said.

"I've been sick, haven't I?"

Mike lowered his head. "Yes." Neither one spoke as Tatsumi sensed a change in the woman.

Hana grabbed her sheets tighter. "I don't know how much longer I'll be here," she said. "So I have to say this now."

"Hana…" Mike said.

"No, listen!" she cried. The woman breathed heavily.

"I forgive you," Hana said. The color drained from Mike's face.

"Hana…" he said.

"I forgive you for Izumi-chan's death and everything that happened between us," she said. Mike felt like breaking down inside.

"Hana…" he murmured.

"Excuse me," Tatsumi cut in. Hana and Mike looked up at him. The secretary pushed up his glasses.

"What exactly happened to you, Yamamoto-san?" he asked. "Please try to remember." Hana dug into her mind for the answer for a moment.

"There was something last night," she said.

"What?" Mike asked.

"An angel came in my room," Hana answered.

"An angel?" Mike asked.

Hana nodded. "Yeah."

"What did this angel look like?" Tatsumi asked. The woman closed her eyes.

"He had the most beautiful violet eyes and he wore a lone black trench coat," she said. Both men froze in shock.

"He's been here!" Tatsumi gasped.

"Hana, did this angel do anything to the tape?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I fell asleep." The men rushed over to the tape player and hit play.

Mysterious Tape:

"Tell me, you are a good girl."

"I need to go to the hospital Asato-kun."

Outside:

"Good, it's still here," Mike said. However as the tape continued, their hearts sank.

"Say it."

"Please Asato-kun. Let me go to -"

New Message on Tape:

"That's enough out of you, Anna-chan!"

Outside:

Mike and Tatsumi paused.

"No," the shinigami said. "He's taped over it."

New Message on Tape:

"It seems there is a leak in my little game. (He snickered on the recording.) Doesn't change things for me. I have Anna-san. Don't bother retrieving her. I'll give her back when I'm ready. If you disobey me, well… Let's just say, I can't guarantee her well-being afterwards. Good day, gentlemen."

*End of Tape*

Tatsumi and Mike stood there in silence. The jaded version of Tsuzuki's voice just confirmed everything they suspected. Unbeknownst to them, they had a little help on the outside with them, but for right now…


	25. Strip Show

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Strip Show:_

_He sat among a sea of stuffed animals in a state of the art theater. The brightly colored lights focused on the stage. He waited for today's main attraction. Finally, the lush red velvet curtains went up. His lips curved into a smile. She stood before him on stage. Invisible gold chains held her in place by the ankles. He took time dolling her up while she was out cold last night. She still had a loli theme in her clothes. The lights shined on the pink and white rhinestones on her short skirt. She clenched her fists at her sides._

_He clapped his hands. "Come on, daughter!" he shouted. "Give us a show!" He pulled out a remote and hit play. Cheers and stripper music filled the air. She gritted her teeth._

_She stepped forward. The black stage felt cold under her dainty bare feet. The chains jingled behind her. Her dignity shrank away with each step. She wanted to scream once again. His pleasure already showed in his eyes. She stood still. Her chest heaved up and down as she began to scream a familiar rape poem in her head like a sedative._

A sudden below: the great wings beating still

_Her eyes couldn't face his. How could they? The man she loved stabbed her in the back. That's one betrayal that a lover can never recover from._

Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed

_She grabbed onto her glittery white and navy schoolgirl top and slid it off. That bastard stared intently with hunger in his eyes._

By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,

_She reached behind her and unhooked her lacy black and red bra. She moved slow enough to turn on her captor._

He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

_Bra landed on the stage behind her._

How can those terrified vague fingers push

_The cold instantly hit her bare skin. He didn't care about how she felt. He just wanted a good time to behold._

The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?

_She slid off her pink and white rhinestone skirt._

And how can body, laid in that white rush,

_He watched her while licking his lips hungrily._

But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?

_The stuffed animals watching in the audience didn't help either._

A shudder in the loins engenders there

_Glass black eyes all laughed at her._

The broken wall, the burning roof and tower

_They all made her grit her teeth._

And Agamemnon dead.

_Her own screaming in her head grew louder._

Being so caught up

_She grabbed onto her black lacy sequin thong panties and slid them down._

So mastered by the brute blood of the air,

_She stood there with her arms high into the air, naked and exposed._

Did she put on his knowledge with his power

_The cheering and music faded from her head._

Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?

_Tears streamed down her face. Not ones of sorrow, but ones filled with rage as she plotted a way to escape this nightmare once and for all._


	26. Secret Message

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Secret Message:_

Hana wasn't the only one experiencing a change in her condition. Suddenly, Tatsumi's phone rang.

"Excuse me," he said. The secretary reached into his jacket and answered his phone. "Hello?" he asked.

"Oi, Tatsumi!" a woman's raspy voice hissed.

"Lucy?" the secretary asked with an eyebrow raised. "How did you get this number?"

"Never mind that now!" she said. "It's Barbie!" Tatsumi paused.

"What about her?" he asked.

"It's her hand!" Becky shouted in the background.

"What about it?" the kagetsukai asked.

"It's moving on its own," Lucy said.

That took about five seconds for the news to sink into Tatsumi's head. "What did you say?"

"Her hand is moving on its own," the Goth repeated.

"Moving how?" Tatsumi asked.

"Writing," Becky said in the background.

"What is it writing?" he asked.

"We don't know," Lucy said. "It looks like scribbles." Tatsumi took this all in.

"I see," he said. "I'll be right there." The shinigami hung up the phone and turned to Mike. "We have to so," the shinigami said.

"Why?" the demon asked.

"It's Anna," Tatsumi replied. "Her condition has changed." Both men rushed out of Hana's room.

They found Lucy, Hisoka, and Becky all crowded around Anna's bed. The woman herself sat up in bed. She was still in a catatonic state with blank eyes. Her right hand wrote on a piece of paper aimlessly. The trio turned to the men when they heard him walk in.

"How long has she been like this?" Tatsumi asked.

"Since midnight," Hisoka said.

"Midnight?" Mike asked.

"That's what the doc said," Lucy said.

"Any reason why this is happening?" Tatsumi asked. Becky shook her head.

"No," she said. "It just happened like this."

"I see," he mumbled. He glanced at Mike.

"Think the poison's wearing off?" the demon whispered.

"Seems that way," the shinigami replied. The men turned their attention back to the crew.

"Can we see what she wrote?" Tatsumi asked.

"Hang on," Hisoka said. He reached over to the side table and got the papers. He handed them to the older shinigami. The first two pages yielded nothing but scribbles. Tatsumi turned the page and found more scribbles. Given it was close to nine now, these really took a while. Around page seven, the scribbles tried form Kanji. Mike squinted for a better look.

"What does that say?" he asked. The shinigami took a closer look.

"That's what we're trying to find out," Hisoka said.

"That look like… what or why," the older shinigami replied. The other two tried to read what he was pointing at.

"Guys!' Becky shouted. "Look at this!" The men rushed over to her and Lucy. The former pointed forward. The Kanji started to take shape. The coherency started to kick in; a little sloppy, but clear enough.

"What does it say?" Becky asked. A puzzled look came onto Tatsumi's face as he read the various lines.

"Why?" he read.

"Huh?" Lucy asked.

"That's what she's writing," he said.

"For what?" Becky asked.

"Can't say," the secretary replied. They all shifted their focus back over towards Anna. She still wrote on the many pieces of paper the nurses gave her.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Each time she wrote, the words got clearer, but what was she trying to say?


	27. Playing the Angel

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Playing the Angel:_

_She drew open her eyes to tiny flames. _I'm pressed up against something._ She tried to move her wrists to no avail. She chuckled to herself with sarcasm. _Surprise, surprise!

_His fingers brushed up against her cheek. Her eyes trailed forward. His arrogant smile made her sick. Boy, what she would give to spit in his face right now._

_"You hate me right now, don't you?" he asked._

_"No!" she hissed._

_"Oh really?" he asked. She gritted her teeth as his fingers trailed down her throat. She drew in a sharp breath. _

_He drew back his hand. "It's funny, really." She glared at him. She resisted asking what was. _Don't play his game. Don't play his game. Don't play his game.

_He looked at her. "Go on. Ask me."_

_"Ask you what?"_

_"What's so funny?"_

_"Why should I?"_

_He fought to hold back a laugh. "This is your trial."_

_She blinked at him. "Huh?"_

_"That's right, look around," he told her. The bright lights flashed on her. She squinted for a better view. _A courtroom?

_"Really?" she asked._

_"Meet your jury!" he boomed. More stuffed animals sat on display. They all stared at her intently. She shut her eyes to block out their laughter. _Shut up!

_"And who's the judge?"_

_"Who do you think?"_

_She rolled her eyes. _Figures!_ "And what's all of this?"_

_He turned to her still smiling. "You are under arrest."_

_"What? For what?"_

_He smirked at her. "Take a guess."_

_She frowned at him. "Do I have a choice?" There goes that grin again. She really wanted to spit in his face. He patted her on the head._

_"Good, may the trial begin!" She snorted to herself. _Whoopee!

-Trial Begins-

_He sat at the judge's bench. The sound of the gavel filled the air._

_"Order! Order! Order in the court!" No one said a single word in the room._

_He straightened up his glasses. "Very good. We are all gathered here today for the trial of Kimoto Anna. Here are the charges." He pulled out a sheet of paper. "Self-isolation, insubordination, defiance, and not breaking down." _

_She snorted to herself. _This is ridiculous!

_"Quiet!" he snapped. Zap! She wheezed in pain of electrocution._

_"What the hell?" Zap! "Hey!" Zap! Zap! She gritted her teeth hard._

_"Quiet, bitch!" he hissed. She closed her lips tightly. He turned to the court._

_"You have all witnessed the defiance charge," he said. She glared at him._

_"Such a shame," he said. He turned to her._

_"How do you wish to plead?"_

_"Fuck you!" Zap!_

_"`Guilty' or `not guilty' will do fine."_

_"Fuck you!" Zap!_

_"Guilty or not guilty."_

_She sucked in a mouthful of air. "Not guilty."_

_"You sure about that?"_

_"Yes!"_

_He gave her a fake uneasy look. "Okay…" He turned back to the court. "You see? She incriminates herself further with these charges! Harlot!"_

_"That's not true!" Zap! She opened her mouth and another shock struck her without warning. Then another and a third one followed. After six more shocks, she went quiet. _

_He smiled to the court. "I rest my case." He pulled out a tan rolled up scroll._

_"Oh look. The verdict came back. Let's see what it says." He unrolled the scroll and read it._

_"Oh, would you look at that? Guilty!"_

_She saw first at those words. "Liar!" Zap! "Liar!" Zap! "Bastard!" Zap! "I am innocent!" Zap. Zap. Zap! Her body sank down in place. He leaned in close to her tired face._

_"Now do you hate me?" he whispered._

_"No…" she murmured. He licked her cheek._

_"No?" he asked._

_"No…"_

_He drew back with a smile on his face. _Well now, this a rather interesting development_, he thought. Time to up the torture games for the final act._


	28. Cry for Help

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cry for Help:_

_December 23rd, 2009._

Anna's hand didn't stop; it kept writing and writing on many sheets of paper. Her friends couldn't figure it out. _Why? Why? Why?_ Watari observed her with the girls.

"Any change?" he asked. Becky shook her head.

"I see," the scientist said. He looked at his phone.

"Something wrong?" Willow asked. The shinigami looked up, nodding.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm expecting someone to call."

"Who?" Becky asked.

"Oh," Willow said. Anna's best friend looked between them rather confused.

"What's going on?" she asked. Willow put her hand on her shoulder. The former photography club president looked up at her.

"Willow?" she asked. Her friend gave her a serious look.

"What's going on?" Becky asked.

"Come with me," Willow said. She led the friend out into the hall.

"Willow?" Becky asked again. Watari turned back to Anna. Her mind was elsewhere, but her hand… Watari leaned into her face, wondering, _what are you trying to tell us?_ Then something caught his eye.

"Hm?" he asked. The shinigami looked at the paper. His eyes slowly widened.

"The pattern changed?" he asked. This time another message came with "Why?" _Help me…_

Watari eyed her. "Help you?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

_Help me. Help me. Help me. Why? Why? Why? Help me._

Watari read and noticed that her hand had gotten a little faster. The writing got smaller and denser on the page. The scientist took the paper away for her to write on a fresh one.

_Why? Why? Why? Help me. Help me. Help…_

Something clicked in Watari's mind at the words stuck on repeat on each page. He raced out of the room and down the hall.

"Tatsumi-san, Bon! Come look at this!" he yelled. In five minutes, he showed them the results.

"What does it mean?" Hisoka asked.

"Hard to say for the time being," Watari replied. "I say we let her keep writing." The men quickly got it.

"Then maybe she'll tell us what happened," Hisoka said.

"Exactly!" Watari replied.

"But how do we keep track?" Tatsumi asked. The blonde scientist smiled.

"We just have to keep watch over her like we have been," he said. "Any other questions?"

"What about Tsuzuki?" Hisoka asked.

"Keep trying to call him," Watari said. "Anything else?"

"Her friends?" Tatsumi asked.

"We'll deal with them along the way," the scientist replied. "Anything else?" The other two didn't say a word. Watari took in a breath.

"Right," he said. "Let's go." The shinigami went back to Anna's room. Meanwhile, Anna added something new to her message.

_Why? Why? Why? Help me… Help me… Why? A-sa-to…_

_-Back inside her prison-_


	29. Living Doll

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Living Doll:_

_He sat before her naked and chained up body. He studied her features. He happily counted each cut and scar on her body._ Beautiful! _He ran his finger along her cheek. A giddy smile spread across his face._

So spent, but yet I haven't won. _"Oh, you're still here." He snickered to himself._ _"I know what you did. I haven't forgotten. I will fix you both." His lips curved into a snicker._

_"Really now?" He snickered again._

_"You seem to have forgotten. I'm the one in control, not you! Learn your place!" Her smirked and turned back to her. "Heh? How?"_

_"Look at her. Just look at her. How does it feel to see her like this? Helpless? Weak? Beside yourself? Aching?" He smirked._

_"Good! What's that? Do I see fear in your eyes?" He licked his lips. "Well now, just as expected."_

_"Sorry?" He choked back a laugh. "Oh, that's so funny! You really are a laugh. Really, you are." He sat back as his eyes returned to her. Something caught his attention._

_"Oh, what's this? She's crying and you're crying?" He looked closer at her face. Thin tears trailed down her cheeks. He wiped them up and licked his fingers. His lips curved into a smile._

_"Yes! She is crying and so are you!" He tried not to laugh. "Oh, but you are. You really are. Makes it interesting, actually."_

_"Or what?" He folded his arms across his chest._

_"Once again you forgot. I'm the one in control here, not you. I can do anything I want to her. If I want to beat her, I can. If I want to kill her, I can. Hell, I can rape her right now if I pleased!" He reached for her, but stopped short a few inches of her perky bust._

_"No?" He snickered. "You forgot who's in control here. And just for that, she'll have worse done to her for the finale." He smiled as she shook his head._

_"Sorry. You made your bed, now lie in it!" His crooked smile revealed a silent laugh._

_She heard everything. If only she could still reach out for help in time. The outside in her hospital room buzzed in her inner self. Surely someone must have noticed something by now. Surely someone must have!_


	30. Pieces to the Puzzle

_Chapter Thirty: Pieces to the Puzzle:_

_Why? Why? Why? Help me. Asato. Torture. Angel._ The shinigami watched as Anna keep writing. Six words so far and they still didn't add up.

"What's she saying?" Tatsumi asked.

"I don't know," Watari said. "Let her keep writing." Anna's hand kept moving when the boys heard the door open behind them. Willow shuffled her feet.

"How is she?" she mumbled.

"Fine," Tatsumi said.

"Ah," she said. "Is she still writing?"

"Yeah," Hisoka said. The shinigami moved aside to let her through. Willow eyed her friend in the bed. _Anna…_ She turned to the men.

"Why does she keep writing?" Willow asked.

"I think she's trying to tell us something," Hisoka replied. That reminded Willow of something.

"I haven't seen Tsuzuki around these past few days. Where is he? Have you heard from him?" she asked.

"No," they said.

"Oh," she replied. Anna's hand added to the page. Suddenly, Watari caught onto the new clues.

"Look!" he said. Anna added three more words to the page. _Why? Why? Why? Help me… Asato. Torture. Angel. Trapped. Dark. Pain. Why? Why? Why?_

"The writing's gotten intense," Tatsumi said. Willow paused at the sound of increased beeping. She looked and saw the heart motion had sped up with each word. Anna's breath grew heavy as she sweated buckets. Willow raced to the doorway.

"Nurse!" she cried. "Nurse, help! Help!" The nurse raced inside.

"What happened? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Look!" Willow yelled. The nurse looked inside in shock.

"What the— how long has she been like this?" she asked.

"A couple minutes," Willow replied. The nurse hurried to the bed. Anna's hand wrote faster and faster. Her shock increased with each word.

"We should take these away," the nurse said as she reached out for the notes. Watari stopped her as she took them away,

"What are you doing?" the nurse cried.

"We need those," he argued.

"But she'll die from the stress!"

"She'll be fine! Trust me!"

"We have to treat her now! I'm taking these notes!"

"No, you won't!"

"If you don't take your hands off of me, I'll…"

"Look!" Hisoka cut it. "She's added more words!" Everyone paused for a look. _Why? Why? Why? Help me… Asato. Torture. Angel. Trapped. Dark. Tormented. Prisoner. Asato. Has. Me. In. Mind. Help me…_ Anna ceased writing and her stats returned to a catatonic nothing. Her breathing and heart rate went to normal. No one dared to move.


	31. Decoder

_Chapter Thirty-One: Decoder:_

The shinigami sat in the lobby at Watari looked at the pages in front of him.

"Tsuzuki has her trapped?" he asked. "Could explain why he hasn't been around lately." Hisoka shook his head.

"No!" he blurted out. The other two turned their heads. Hisoka's fists trembled.

"He's not like that!" he cried. "He… He would never do that to her! This has to be someone else pretending to be him and doing all this to her. This has to be! It has to!" Tatsumi put his hand on his shoulder. The young shinigami looked up.

"We know," Tatsumi said in a low voice. Hisoka's eyes widened.

"Right," Watari said. "So, what's going on?" He looked at the notes.

"An angel, huh?" he asked. "It could be Muraki. He does have motive and the power."

"What if it isn't?" Tatsumi asked. Hisoka and Watari eyed him.

"I don't know," the secretary said. "It just feels like it."

"Okay," Watari said. "Then who?" He looked at the paper again. "An angel," he mumbled. "What did Hana-san say the angel looked like?"

"Violet eyes and a black trench coat," Tatsumi replied.

"Anything else?" the scientist asked. Tatsumi shook his head.

"No," he said.

"I see," Watari said. "Hmm…"

"What are you thinking?" Hisoka asked.

"Supposing," he said. "Now, this is just a theory, but what if something happened to Tsuzuki and someone took his form. He then rapes and poisons Anna. Now, he has her trapped in her mind and torturing her."

"Okay," Tatsumi said. "But how?"

"Forced into it?"

"How?"

Watari shrugged. "Blackmail, I don't know."

"But with what?" Tatsumi asked.

"Something to with Anna-san?" Hisoka suggested. The men eyed him as the boy shrugged, defeated.

"Makes sense," he mumbled.

"Okay," Watari said. "But why?"

"Maybe… something's changed in their relationship?" Hisoka suggested.

"Alright," Tatsumi said. "But how?"

"Well, they didn't break up," Hisoka said. "He's been too happy before all of this."

"In any case," Watari cut in. "How we save them both?"

"I could get Anna out, but Tsuzuki's a different matter," Watari said.

"We need to find him first," Tatsumi said.

"But, where is he?" Hisoka asked.

"And how do we get Anna-san out?" Tatsumi asked. The blonde scientist smiled.

"Thought you wouldn't ask!" he said. "Come with me." He stood up and disappeared out of the lobby. Unease filled Hisoka and Tatsumi's stomachs.

_I don't like where this is going_, _but we have no choice_, the secretary thought. Hisoka followed behind. Tatsumi took a breath and did the same.


	32. Dark was the Night

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Dark was the Night:_

_He swung a beautiful on string between his fingers._

_"He proposed and she said yes," he said. "A simple man and his bride-to-be, but, no one really knows it._

_"No, this has to be a secret. She's supposed to be a permanent resident in Meifu, but what's this? She's back from the dead? Yet, how can this be? A taboo. Yes, a taboo._

_"The Hell Stone. Just a small, round gem that brings back the dead. Not without its flaws, however. This stone takes years to make. Years most cannot afford, but an old fox manipulated his way six years ago to have one especially for her. The fox used him to bring her back from the dead._

_"As predicted, they fell for each other. Very passionate, she missed the rain and he gave it to her. Yet, not many wanted this. One tried to break them up and failed. Another is still heartbroken, but paradise was limited._

_"Enter the Heaven stone. This pearl white gem extends life, but not without a price. Many do not survive, but she survived and a core was born._

_"Now, they plan to marry. Yet, there are some problems. Exposure is the main one. The others are tolerant of the relationship. They don't want it, but what can they do? Fate is keeping them together." He couldn't help but chuckle at such a notion. "Heh, if you believe in that sort of thing._

_"However, think. What would happen if this secret engagement would get out? They won't have them married. The king himself would cancel her core if it came down to it._

_"He does not want that for her. So, they keep mum until after they marry. However, there is more._

_"What if she holds the Mother Kitsune of the murderous Eda-Kimoto clan? Now that would bring shame and scandal to all the shinigami. Him being married to the mother of the enemy. They really don't want that."_

_He stopped swinging the ring. "That's where I come in. So easy to pull off. I threatened to take her to Dai-Oh and cracked just like that."_

_He snickered to himself. "I can actually see her kitsune. I know where the Mother is. Are they connected?"_

_He smirked over the ring. "I'll let them figure it out. Why should I talk? They won't listen to me. Why? Well, I am an angel and a devil. I am both yet I am neither. Only two people know of my true nature. Asmodeus and God himself._

_"So why am I in Heaven? Interesting question. I'm there under surveillance. Feared in Hell, not trusted in Heaven. God watches my every move. He's watching me right now, but what do they do with me? Nothing. Yeah, I said that right and let me tell you why. It's two reasons really. One, they don't know what to do with me. I may not fully remember when I was alive, but I know what I have done. So, they just leave me alone. There is another reason, but…"_

_He placed the ring in his sleeve. "That's another story in itself. I don't have the time to tell it all."_

_He drew out a syringe needle and placed it deep into her arm. "Right now, I have work to do. The finale is on its way. Show time." He packed up his kit and headed out the door._


	33. Wasteland

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Wasteland:_

_A dry, hot wind touched her cheek. She drew open her eyes with regret. Black and grey nothingness of sand and space. She looked down at herself. No chains this time and wearing the same dress from the dinner party._

Where… am I? _She slowly sat up for a better look. Another rough wind blew overheard. No sun, but it looked violently bright. She squinted for a better look. Her mind flooded with questions. _Is this a desert? _A third wind hit her body. She took in heavy breaths. The hot air felt so thin. Suddenly, some flew in her ear. She froze._

_"Hm?" she asked. The wind lingered there heavy for a minute. She frowned to herself._

_"Oh," she said. "He wants me to cross through this hell." She choked back a sarcastic laugh._

_"He's kidding, right?" she asked. "There's nothing here!" A fourth wind hit her hard. She tried to stay still. The wind's pressure blew harder. She tightly shut her eyes._

_"Fine! I'll go!" she barked. She pushed herself to her feet._

_"Whoa!" she said as she struggled to keep her balance. _Why are my feet so heavy? _She looked down at her ankles. No shoes or chains this time. She blinked twice._

_"There's nothing there," she said. "There's nothing there! Oh boy." Another wind pushed at her._

_"Okay, okay!" she said. She began her long walk out of the maze. Black sand everywhere. She looked around the empty canvas. Not even a single plant in sight. More and more sand ahead. The harsh wind kept her moving._

_"What are you plotting now?" she asked. "Can't be any worse than what you put me through already." Chatter filled her head. She glanced around, but no one was there. She shook her head to herself._

_"Snap out of it! He's messing with you! Stay focused and get out of here!" she told herself. She breathed in the thin air._

_Right… She pushed herself to keep walking across the numbing sand. With each step, the air became thinner, dried, and hotter. She fought to stay conscious._

_"I must not give in! I won't let him win!" she yelled. Within moments, her vision became blurry. Despite staggering around in her trail, she fought to stay upwards._

When did it get so hot here? _She shook her head to stay focused._ How long is this desert? _Soon, hope came. Up ahead stood a big open white and black sliding door. A smile came onto face._

"_I see it! I see it!" she cried. "I can see the exit!" She began to run the long distance to the exit, to her freedom. However as she did, the air grew thinner and hotter, crushing her, making her dizzy. Still, she kept running._

_"I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!" she said over and over again. Sadly when she got to the door, the heat overpowered her. She passed out through the opening into…_


	34. Silent Flowers

_Chapter Thirty-Four: Silent Flowers:_

_She opened her eyes to the cold. This place felt eerily familiar though she couldn't grasp why._ I don't like this already_, she thought. She sat up for a better look. A frown came across her face._ This is a morgue_, she thought._ I'm in a morgue. I'm in a damn morgue! _She laughed in dead silence._ How lovely! How fucking lovely!

_An icy chill raced down her spine as a low moan caught her ears. Against her better judgment, she turned to her left. A body lay under a sheet. She didn't want to look, but… Her hand inched towards the sheet. Her heart pounded in her throat. Her fingers touched the sheet and drew it back. Her eyes widened with fear when she saw the bloated and burned corpse of a fifteen-year-old teenage girl. The Kanji for Eda-Kimoto and a flower was burned into the ribcage._

_"Aunt Yumiko!" she gasped. Another cold hit her back. She turned to her right. Another body on a slab under a sheet. She reached forward and lifted up the sheet. More shock filled her. She saw the beaten corpse of a thirteen-year-old girl on the table. Her hands shook._

_"Aunt Kirika!" she said. Another cold brushed against her spine. She tightly shut her eyes._ No! Not another body! No! I can't bear it! _However, she looked behind her anyway. Daisuke's beaten corpse floated before her with the burn marks of Eda-Kimoto and "bear" on his wrists._

_"Papa!" she cried. Suddenly, her pain started up again._

_"My wrists!" she cried. Her own burn marks became so cold they burned. Their blue light blinded her eyes._

_"S-So cold!" she whimpered. She grabbed onto her wrists. More cold hit her back. She shut her eyes again. _No more! I don't want to see another body! _The pain in her wrists increased. She turned behind her. They all had the same marks that she and her father did. Her eyes widened in panic._

These are Yasuo's victims! _More cold and pain ate at her body. She looked around above her against her better judgment. More bodies began falling from the open hole above her. The flood didn't stop. The pain crushed her mind as her soul tried to escape from her body to Yasuo's waiting kitsune._ _Her body began to sink with her mind into a black hole. Down into…_


	35. Sick Desire Fastened to a Dying Animal

_Chapter Thirty-Five: Sick Desire Fastened to a Dying Animal:_

_White. She opened her eyes once more. A feeling of nothing ate at her chest._ Now what? _She sat up, but her body felt heavy._ What the… _Her eyes darted downwards. Nothing held her still, but she could feel it, all of it._ Invisible chains again. You know, he keeps pulling the same tricks. You'd think he would…

_However, something caught her attention. She looked up and saw black glass ahead of her. A loud crackle came overhead. She jerked up at the sound._

_"Oh, good. You're awake now," a voice said. She gritted her teeth. Oh, it's him, she thought._

_"Good, now for the fun. I'm going to run some tests on you."_

_She blinked at those words. "Huh?"_

_"Test starts now."_

_"What?" Suddenly, a low thump filled her ears._

_"What… is that?"_

_"Silence! Test subject must not talk!"_

_Another wave of thumps filled her ears. Soft still, yet she knew better._ Where is the pain? I know he has it somewhere. So, what is he plotting? More thumping filled her ears. _Prickles formed on her skin. She clenched her fists._ Okay… What is the point? _The thumps grew sharper and she winced at the change._

_The thumping came with a twist. She felt a shock to her skin. _Ow! _Shock! Shock! She breathed in hard. _Don't cave it! Block it out. _Squirming in motion. Now to raise the stakes._

_She winced harder at the sudden growth. Shocks hit her ears now. A sharp breath drew in more. Ow. Second jump hit her wrists. Her hands became stiff. Third jump to her ankles. Fourth jump. Fifth jump. Sixth jump. Each time made her go stiff. Her breath quickened. _I… can't… breathe… Why… can't… I… move… _She sank to her back._

_The shocks became higher. Her heart and breath increased. Another shock came and her mind became distorted with pain._ What… is… this? _The heat in her body rose with each shock._

Is… he… killing… me? _The white blurred with other colors in her head. Another shock hit her heart. Her vision blurred over. Increase the voltage? Why yes. Yes!_ _A stronger shock hit her heart and lungs. She felt her body go into a seizure._

Kill… me… Please… kill… me… _But, would he? No! At least not yet, anyway. Soon, the white disappeared to black. Has he won at last?_

I don't want to die alone. _She reached to something._ Help… me… Anybody… A…sa…to…-ku…n…


	36. Come Back Home

_Chapter Thirty-Six: Come Back Home:_

"Alright," Tatsumi said. "What do you have for us?" Watari turned to him, grinning.

"Behold," he said. The scientist held up a picture, grinning. Tatsumi gave it an odd look.

"What… is that?" he asked. Watari grinned at his latest drawing. He drew a stick figure with wings and a halo.

"A way to get them both out!" he bragged.

"How?" Tatsumi asked.

"With your help, of course."

"How?"

"Your shadows will blast this little angel to them."

"But, how will that work?"

Watari grinned at him. "Don't ask questions. We don't have much else."

Tatsumi threw up his hands. "Fine."

"You'll love this!" Watari bragged. His attention turned to Hisoka.

"Don't worry, Bon," he said. "We'll get them back." Hisoka gave him a stern nod. Watari placed the picture on the ground. The scientist drew in a breath.

"Okay," he said. He placed his hand over the page. The angel stick figure began to glow. Tatsumi stepped forward and summoned a shadow. The angel came to life and vanished. All three guys watched.

"Now what?" Hisoka asked.

"We wait," Watari said. "Watch and wait." They teleported back to Anna's room. However, Watari's pixie needed assistance in her trip to Anna's mind. Maybe a little Fuda magic? Coming up!

Kanji swallowed up the pixie, not in a violent way, but like a protective mother. The agent smiled to herself.

"Oh, so this is where you've been," she said. She smiled to herself.

"That's why I'm here," she said. "Now hang on. We're going to be flying!" The pixie sped up like a rocket.

"Thanks for the boost, by the way," she said. "Just lead the path!" The agent nodded.

"Got ya!" she said. "Yeah."

"Whoa! Easy then. We'll get her out just fine. After all, you've got Watari and them helping us."

"That's right. You're message got through just fine."

"Don't worry, we know you're innocent. Left or right?"

"Okay."

"She's still alive, but barely. We have to hurry." Both flew through the narrowing tunnel. She could hear her heart beating.

"Can you hear her still?" the agent asked. "You have to try!"

"Do it for her sake! Anna needs you right now!"

"Now, do you hear her?"

"Good. We're almost there. Hang on tight!" The agent flew right into the eyes of the storm. The white swallowed them whole.


	37. Angel Lips

_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Angel Lips:_

_A hazy whisper in the white filled her eyes. She quickly opened her eyes. _Oh, is he calling me again? No… This is different.

Who are you?

_"I came to get you."_

_Her lips curved into a crooked smile._ Oh, is he killing me now?

_"No."_

Oh, for another one of his little games?

_"No."_

Then, what?

_"I'm taking you home."_

_She gave the nothingness a funny look. _Huh?

_"I'm here to take you home."_

Why?

_"You don't belong here. I'm taking you back to your friends. Back to Tsuzuki."_

_She tried not to laugh._ To the Asato that's trying to kill me?

_"That's not Tsuzuki."_

_Her eyes filled with shock. _What?

_"The man here is not your Tsuzuki."_

What are you talking about? Then, who is he? _Suddenly, a playful warmth covered her lips. She stopped short with wide eyes as the truth blasted her mind like a shotgun. It all made sense. _Of course! _The heat slowly drew back._

_"Now do you see?" he asked._

_"Yes…" she said. "But…"_

_"But, what?" the pixie asked._

_"I know this isn't a trap, but… how do I get out of here?"_

_"Just follow us."_

_"I can't even get up."_

_"Try!"_

_"But I can't!"_

_"We will help you. Give us your hands. Please try. Try!"_

_She drew in a small breath. Suddenly, she felt her arms lifting up inch by inch. Two strong, loving hands pulled her to her feet. The invisible chains fell from her ankles. She even felt her body begin to heal internally as a warmth tingled within her._

_"Ready to go?"_

_She nodded. "Get me out of here!" A door slid open in the endless white. She walked along the forming steps as if in a daze. The cold drew her closer to the open space. She crossed through and the door drew shut behind her. She awoke in the darkness lying at his feet._


	38. Game Over

_Chapter Thirty-Eight: Game Over:_

_He stood over her smirking as he shook his head._

_"Well, well, well," he said. "You came back. That's a good girl." She fought to keep up the planned farce. She hated his voice now that she learned the truth from the kiss. He choked back a snicker._

_"Whatever," he said. He pulled out a whip. "Time to end this shitty game. Get on your knees!" She didn't move. He gritted his teeth._

_"Get on your knees!" he barked. "Do it now!" She struggled to comply. The pain danced around in her mind._ Keep it together! _He watched her push herself to her knees._

_"Beg for forgiveness," he said. She would not give him the satisfaction anymore. He tightened his grip around the whip._

_"Beg for forgiveness!" he snapped. "Beg for fucking forgiveness!" He whipped the cold floor with a loud snap._

_"Beg me to fucking forgive you!" he barked. He paused when he heard mumbling float out of her mouth._

_"Sorry?" he asked as he leaned in close to her ear._

_"You are not my Asato!" she hissed._

_"What?" he asked. She looked up with hate-filled eyes._

_"You are not my Asato! He would never hurt me!" she declared. "Who the hell are you?" He sneered at first and then chuckled._

_"Very good," he said. Suddenly, his looks melted away from him. The black suit disappeared into white robes. Two white wings sprung out from his back. The violet eyes changed to an icy blue. His glasses caught a sinister light. The new man smirked._

_"That game was getting boring anyway," he said. Anna snorted at him._

_"Who are you?" she asked. The angel smirked at her._

_"Kind of pointless to tell someone I'm about to kill," he replied. He raised his hand for the attack._

_"That's enough, Satoshi!" Tsuzuki barked in his head. The angel smirked. Looks like Tsuzuki managed to get back enough control in this prison to control the outcome of this twisted game._

_"I'm sorry," he said. "But you have no say in this game, remember? You agreed to my terms or did you forget?"_

_"Now I'm ending this! No,_ we _are ending this!" the shinigami snapped._

_Satoshi snickered. "And how are you going to…" Blood flooded from his mouth. He didn't even make a sound. Anna sat on her knees, watching. Satoshi laughed in his head._

_"Oh what? You think you can kill me? You can't do it! I can't die! You're wasting your time!"_

_Tsuzuki smirked. "Good to know. If that was the plan."_

_"What?"_

_"Anna-chan, you can leave now," Tsuzuki said._

_She blinked at him. "But how?"_

_"Go through the gate."_

_"What gate?" A light-covered blade pierced through Satoshi's chest. The angel gasped as the blade dragged down to his stomach. His body ripped wide open._

_"Now, go!" Tsuzuki shouted. "Go!" Anna eyed him in Satoshi's body._

_"But what about you?" she asked._

_"I'll be waiting for you on the outside!" her lover yelled. "Just go! I can't hold him open much longer!" His woman nodded._

_"Okay!" she yelled. The woman pushed herself to her feet and raced toward the blinding light._

At five in the evening, Anna came to in her hospital room. Her eyes scanned the dim lighting. _Am I back?_ Her eyes moved to the foot of her bed. Tsuzuki sat before her, smiling. Anna tried to smile uncertain.

"I'm back," she said. Tsuzuki gently took her hand.

"Welcome home," he whispered.


	39. Christmas Eve Dinner

_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Christmas Eve Dinner:_

"How are you?" Tsuzuki whispered.

"Good," Anna said. "Is he…?" Her man nodded.

"He's gone," he said. The woman's eyes lit up in relief. They looked up when they heard footsteps. Becky stood in the doorway, watching them. Anna quickly sat up.

"Becky?" she asked. Her best friend gasped.

"Nurse!" she yelled as she raced down the hall. "She's up! She's up!" Anna turned to Tsuzuki.

"What do we do about her?" she asked. A sweat drop formed on Tsuzuki's head.

"I'll think of something…" he mumbled.

At seven o'clock, the whole crew knew that Anna was up and better. The nurses cleared her to leave in the morning after an overnight observation. The crew had dinner in the hospital cafeteria. Mike passed around the meals.

"Here you are," he said to each one. "Sorry the food sucks here."

"It's alright," Angie said. Mike gave Anna extra food.

"You need this after three days," he said. Anna gave him a nervous smile.

"Thanks…" she mumbled. She didn't argue; he was right after all. It had been three days. Anna paused when something touched her hand. She looked and saw Tsuzuki eyeing her. He gave her a little smile.

"It's okay," his eyes told her. Anna smiled back as she held his hand. She took in the conversations around her.

"We'll leave in the morning."

"This sushi sucks."

"I warned you."

"How is your husband, Lisa?"

"Good, he keeps asking when we'll come home."

"Soon, we found Anna. Now, we can go home with her."

Anna smiled as she shook her head. "No."

The American women all stared at with wide eyes. "What?!"

"But why?" Becky asked. Anna gave her a little smile.

"I am home now," she said.

"You can't mean that!" Amy said.

"What about California and your aunt?" Angie asked.

"I never felt like I was home in California," Anna explained. "I love you guys and Aunt Allison. But, I don't belong there." She tightly held Tsuzuki's hand. "Japan has always been home to me. I can't leave when I have friends and lovers here."

"But…" Becky began. Willow touched her hand.

"Willow?" her friend asked.

"Let her stay," the other woman said.

"But…"

Willow shook her head. "We can't cling onto her forever. These people are good to her."

"I'll keep in touch with you," Anna promised. Becky eyed her with big eyes.

"You promise?" she asked.

"Yes," her friend replied. "Every day." Becky broke down into tears. Willow rubbed her back.

"Shhh," she whispered. "It's okay. It's okay."

"No!" Becky cried. "She's leaving us!" Her crying hit the sky as people in the cafeteria all eyed the group.

"Is she okay?" a woman whispered. Tatsumi waved her off.

"Yeah," he said. "She just heard some bad news." The woman turned back to her meal with unease.

"Cut it, Becky!" Clare hissed. "You're making a scene!"

"I don't care!" the former photo club president wailed. "She's leaving us!" Everyone gave off a nervous laugh. Watari clapped his hands together.

"Okay!" he said. "Who wants dessert?" Everyone raised their hands at the table. They all had sweet dumplings.

"Yuck!" Tsuzuki wailed. "These dumplings suck!" His girl giggled.

"What?" he whimpered. Anna smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said.

"You could have nothing!" Tatsumi said sharply. Tsuzuki lowered his head.

"Okay…" he mumbled over the stale-tasting treats. Anna smiled as she looked at her people. For once, she felt happy with them. Her old glass box came crashing down around her in the sky and formed stairs to the ground. These past three days opened her eyes and helped walk down to the earth. Anna looked at them. Becky, Willow, Amy, Clare, Angie, Lisa, Gillian, Edith, Emiko, Sara, Hotaru, Mike, Rihoko, Yoko-chan, Tatsumi, Watari, Hisoka, and most importantly, Tsuzuki Asato. A warm feeling bloomed in her chest.

_I don't feel so alone anymore, Anna thought. I never really was alone to begin with. My friends have been there for me all along._


	40. Most Important Thing

_Chapter Forty: Most Important Thing:_

_3:00 a.m._

_Anna awoke to the smell of burning. She sat up and looked around in her bed. Rihoko sat looking asleep in the chair next to her bed. Anna reached forward to wake her._

_"Hey, Rihoko! Wake up! Wake up!" she whispered. "Hey! Hey!" The young mother slumped over to the floor dead. Anna backed up and gasped._

_"No," she whispered. "No!" The woman raced out of the room for help._

_"Nurse!" Anna screamed. "Help! Help! My friend's dead!" Pitch-black throughout the halls. Anna looked around her._

_"Hello?" she asked. "Where is everybody?" Suddenly, a low groan caught her ears in the dark. She froze and looked down. All of her American friends lay on the floor dead or dying before her in the hallway. Anna looked around panicked._

_"Guys?" she asked. "What happened? Who did this to you?" Anna heard a soft groan up ahead. She looked to see Willow reaching out to her. Her bleeding friend raced over to her and cradled her in her arms._

_"Willow!" she cried. "Willow! Talk to me! What happened?" Her friend took to slow breaths._

_"She… wanted… to… come… back…" Willow said with her last breath._

_"Don't talk!" Anna cried. "Try to stay alive!" Her friend died in her arms. Anna didn't get time to grieve. The sight of fire around her caught her eyes. It was as if Hell came for her on earth. Anna's heart raced faster._

_"What is this?" she asked. The sound of laughter in her mind made her jump._

_"Who's there?" she asked. The laughter floated up higher. Anna gritted her teeth._

_"You!" she hissed. "What have you done to my friends?" The heat dragged her down the hall. Another groan caught her ears. She looked and saw the demons as the same state as her friends._

_"Not you too!" she cried. Anna noticed Hotaru pointing forward. Desperate, Anna fled to her._

_"What are you telling me?" she asked. "Who did this to you all?"_

_"Save… them…" Hotaru whispered. The loli demon passed through death too._

_"Save who?" Anna asked. Her eyes widened._

_"The boys!" she gasped. Anna got up and began running. _What's going on? Why is everyone dying around me? Stop taking them away from me! It was just beginning to enjoy being with them! Please stop killing my friends_! She ran faster down the hall. Tatsumi, Watari, and Hisoka lay dead at her feet. Anna slowly backed away._

_"No, no!" she cried. A pair of invisible hands came around her neck. She gagged as her body slumped against her attacker. Is this the end of me?_

_"Yes it is, my dear!" Satoshi said in Tsuzuki's voice. Anna's eyes widened in shock. But then, a strange calm came over her._

No! I refuse to die like this! I… I want to live! I want to live with my life! I won't die like this! _Suddenly, the fire swallowed up everything._

"Anna!" someone whispered. The woman quickly woke up. Rihoko sat on the bed before her. Anna blinked.

"You're alive?" she asked. Her roommate stared at her.

"Of course I am," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?" Anna shook her head.

"It's nothing," she lied. "Where are Becky and them?"

"The airport," Rihoko said. It took Anna moment to get it.

"Ah."

"Want to see them off?"

Anna shook her head. "Nah."

"You sure?" Rihoko asked.

"I'm good," her roommate said. "I just want to go home." The young mother smiled.

"Merry Christmas," she said.

Anna had a quiet Christmas that year. She, Rihoko, and Yoko-chan all exchanged gifts and stayed home. Yoko-chan played outside in the snow while the women stayed inside. The shinigami and demons all came to check on Anna. She smiled and talked with them. Felt so surreal. All of her emotions were drained out of her body and she felt like she was just sleepwalking through her life. Yet one person was still AWOL all day. Until night fell and she went to bed.

"Anna-chan! Anna-chan!" someone whispered as they tried to shake her awake in bed. "Wake up! Wake up!" The woman drew open her eyes. Tsuzuki sat over her on her futon, staring at her. His woman blinked at him.

"Asato-kun?" she asked. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?" He didn't speak at first. The man pushed a coat to her.

"Come on," he whispered. "Let's go." Anna blinked at him.

"But why?" she asked.

"Just get up, get dressed, and come on!" Tsuzuki whispered. She didn't move at first. Tsuzuki kept trying to rush her.

"Come on, we don't have all night," he pushed. Anna dropped her shoulders.

"Okay, okay!" she said. "I'm going. I'm going." The woman climbed out of bed and got dressed. In thirty minutes, Anna and Tsuzuki were out on the city walking through the Christmas night just like they had planned before this whole mess started. Anna stood next to her fiancé uneasily.

"Asato-kun," she spoke up.

"Hm?" he asked.

She took in a deep breath. "Where have you been since that night?"

The shinigami smiled to himself. "If you had looked, you would've noticed that I had been there all along." It all became clear to her. He watched over her in her room. Tsuzuki left the box on the demons' doorstep. He guided them all to the truth.

"Be easy on her, Tatsumi. She's just worried about Anna-chan as much as we all are," Tsuzuki said to his former partner on the roof that morning when he was scolding Willow about calling her American friends. He had been there, but nobody saw him. They couldn't see him. Satoshi used a spell to turn the shinigami invisible to his friends. For an extra measure, the angel took his cell phone and kept his eyes on the outside the whole time. However, Anna wasn't ready to accept it yet. An icy feeling hit her spine. _Somebody's following us!_

"Is something wrong?" a voice asked. Anna almost jumped as she turned. Tsuzuki stared on intently.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His woman didn't speak at first. She clenched her fists and breathed hard.

"Asato-kun, tell me now," she said. "Would you kill me if you were ordered to?"

Tsuzuki didn't blink. "Yes." Shaken up, Anna took off running across the bridge. Tsuzuki took off after her. It didn't take long for him to catch her. She struggled to get away.

"Let me go!" Anna cried. Tsuzuki did the opposite. He held her close to his chest as she struggled.

"But I would quit my job before it came to that!" he declared in her ear. Anna froze in place. It all opened up wide to her. This was Tsuzuki, the man she loved. She could tell through his whole demeanor. Once the shinigami let go of her, they walked home in the snow hand in hand.

Owari


End file.
